HERNDON'S  LINCOLN 

U 

THE  TRUE  STORY  OF  A  GREAT  LIFE 

Etiam  in  minimis  major 
THE  HISTORY  AND  PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS 

OF 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

BY 

WILLIAM    H.    HERNDON 

FOB  TWENTY  YEARS  His  FRIEND  AND  LAW 
PARTNER 

AND 
JESSE  WILLIAM  WEIK,  A.  M, 

VOL.1 

THE  HERNDON'S  LINCOLN  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 

SPRINGFIELD,  ILLINOIS 


- 


H 


These  volumes  are  submitted  as  faithful  repro 
ductions  of  the  original  "Herndon's  Lincoln".  We 
have  endeavored  to  make  the  body  of  the  work  con 
form,  line  for  line  and  word  for  word,  to  the  original. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


TO 

THE  MEN  AND  WOMEN  OF  AMERICA 

WHO   HAVE   GROWN   UP   SINCE   HIS   TRAGIC  DEATH,   AND 

WHO   HAVE  YET  TO  LEARN  THE  STORY  OF 

HIS    LIFE,    THIS    RECORD    OF 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN'S  CAREER 

IS  FAITHFULLY  INSCRIBED 


PREFACE 


A  QUARTER  of  a  century  has  well-nigh  rolled  by 
since  the  tragic  death  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  The 
prejudice  and  bitterness  with  which  he  was  assailed 
have  disappeared  from  the  minds  of  men,  and  the 
world  is  now  beginning  to  view  him  as  a  great  his 
torical  character.  Those  who  knew  and  walked  with 
him  are  gradually  passing  away,  and  ere  long  the 
last  man  who  ever  heard  his  voice  or  grasped  his 
hand  will  have  gone  from  earth.  With  a  view  to 
throwing  a  light  on  some  attributes  of  Lincoln's 
character  heretofore  obscure,  and  thus  contributing 
to  the  great  fund  of  history  which  goes  down  to 
posterity,  these  volumes  are  given  to  the  world. 

If  Mr.  Lincoln  is  destined  to  fill  that  exalted 
station  in  history  or  attain  that  high  rank  in  the 
estimation  of  the  coming  generations  which  has 
been  predicted  of  him,  it  is  alike  just  to  his  mem 
ory  and  the  proper  legacy  of  mankind  that  the 
whole  truth  concerning  him  should  be  known.  If 
the  story  of  his  life  is  truthfully  and  courageously 
told — nothing  colored  or  suppressed ;  nothing  false 
either  written  or  suggested — the  reader  will  see  and 
feel  the  presence  of  the  living  man.  He  will,  in 
fact,  live  with  him  and  be  moved  to  think  and  act 

vii 


VJii  PREFACE. 

with  him.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  story  is  col 
ored  or  the  facts  in  any  degree  suppressed,  the 
reader  will  be  not  only  misled,  but  imposed  upon  as 
well.  At  last  the  truth  will  come,  and  no  man  need 
hope  to  evade  it. 

"There  is  but  one  true  history  in  the  world," 
said  one  of  Lincoln's  closest  friends  to  whom  I  con 
fided  the  project  of  writing  a  history  of  his  life 
several  years  ago,  "and  that  is  the  Bible.  It  is 
often  said  of  the  old  characters  portrayed  there 
that  they  were  bad  men.  They  are  contrasted 
with  other  characters  in  history,  and  much  to  the 
detriment  of  the  old  worthies.  The  reason  is,  that 
the  Biblical  historian  told  the  whole  truth — the 
inner  life.  The  heart  and  secret  acts  are  brought 
to  light  and  faithfully  photographed.  In  other  his 
tories  virtues  are  perpetuated  and  vices  concealed. 
If  the  life  of  King  David  had  been  written  by  an 
ordinary  historian  the  affair  of  Uriah  would  at  most 
have  been  a  quashed  indictment  with  a  denial  of 
all  the  substantial  facts.  You  should  not  forget 
there  is  i  skeleton  in  every  house.  The  finest 
character  dug  out  thoroughly,  photographed  hon 
estly,  and  judged  by  that  standard  of  morality  or 
excellence  which  we  exact  for  other  men  is  never 
perfect.  Some  men  are  cold,  some  lewd,  some  dis 
honest,  some  cruel,  and  many  a  combination  of  all. 
The  trail  of  the  serpent  is  over  them  all!  Excel 
lence  consists,  not  in  the  absence  of  these  attri 
butes,  but  in  the  degree  in  which  they  are  redeemed 
by  the  virtues  and  graces  of  life.  Lincoln's  char 
acter  will,  I  am  certain,  bear  close  scrutiny.  I  am 


PREFACE.  JX 

not  afraid  of  you  in  this  direction.  Don't  let  any 
thing  deter  you  from  digging  to  the  bottom;  yet 
don't  forget  that  if  Lincoln  had  some  faults,  Wash 
ington  had  more — few  men  have  less.  In  drawing 
the  portrait  tell  the  world  what  the  skeleton  was 
with  Lincoln.  What  gave  him  that  peculiar  mel 
ancholy?  What  cancer  had  he  inside?" 

Some  persons  will  doubtless  object  to  the  narra 
tion  of  certain  facts  which  appear  here  for  the  first 
time,  and  which  they  contend  should  have  been 
consigned  to  the  tomb.  Their  pretense  is  that  no 
good  can  come  from  such  ghastly  exposures.  To 
such  over-sensitive  souls,  if  any  such  exist,  my 
answer  is  that  these  facts  are  indispensable  to  a  full 
knowledge  of  Mr.  Lincoln  in  all  the  walks  of  life. 
In  order  properly  to  comprehend  him  and  the  stir 
ring,  bloody  times  in  which  he  lived,  and  in  which 
he  played  such  an  important  part,  we  must  have  all 
the  facts — we  must  be  prepared  to  take  him  as  he 
was. 

In  determining  Lincoln's  title  to  greatness  we 
must  not  only  keep  in  mind  the  times  in  which  he 
lived,  but  we  must,  to  a  certain  extent,  measure  him 
with  other  men.  Many  of  our  great  men  and  our 
statesmen,  it  is  true,  have  been  self-made,  rising 
gradually  through  struggles  to  the  topmost  round 
of  the  ladder;  but  Lincoln  rose  from  a  lower  depth 
than  any  of  them — from  a  stagnant,  putrid  pool,  like 
the  gas  which,  set  on  fire  by  its  own  energy  and 
self-combustible  nature,  rises  in  jets,  blazing,  clear, 
and  bright.  I  should  be  remiss  in  my  duty  if  I  did 
not  throw  the  light  on  this  part  of  the  picture,  so 


x  PREFACE. 

that  the  world  may  realize  what  marvellous  con 
trast  one  phase  of  his  life  presents  to  another. 

The  purpose  of  these  volumes  is  to  narrate  facts, 
avoiding  as  much  as  possible  any  expression  of 
opinion,  and  leaving  the  reader  to  form  his  own  con 
clusions.  Use  has  been  made  of  the  views  and 
recollections  of  other  persons,  but  only  those  known 
to  be  truthful  and  trustworthy.  A  thread  of  the 
narrative  of  Lincoln's  life  runs  through  the  work, 
but  an  especial  feature  is  an  analysis  of  the  man 
and  a  portrayal  of  his  attributes  and  characteristics. 
The  attempt  to  delineate  his  qualities,  his  nature 
and  its  manifestations,  may  occasion  frequent  repe 
titions  of  fact,  but  if  truthfully  done  this  can  only 
augment  the  store  of  matter  from  which  posterity 
is  to  learn  what  manner  of  man  he  was. 

The  object  of  this  work  is  to  deal  with  Mr.  Lin- 

I    coin    individually    and    domestically;    as    lawyer,    as 

I     citizen,  as  statesman.     Especial    attention  is  given  to 

\     the   history   of   his   youth   and   early   manhood;   and 

v  while  dwelling  on  this  portion  of  his  life  the  liberty 

is    taken    to    insert    many    things    that    would    be 

omitted  or    suppressed  in    other    places,    where    the 

cast-iron    rules    that    govern    magazine    writing    are 

allowed  to  prevail.     Thus  much  is  stated  in  advance, 

so   that   no   one   need  be   disappointed   in   the   scope 

and  extent  of  the  work.     The  endeavor  is  to  keep 

Lincoln  in  sight  all  the  time;  to  cling  close  to  his 

side    all    the    way    through — leaving    to    others    the 

more  comprehensive  task  of  writing  a  history  of  his 

times.     I  have  no  theory  of  his  life  to  establish  or 

destroy.     Mr.  Lincoln  was  my  warm,  devoted  friend. 


PREFACE.  xi 

I  always  loved  him,  and  I  revere  his  name  to  this 
day.  My  purpose  to  tell  the  truth  about  him  need 
occasion  no  apprehension;  for  I  know  that  "God's 
naked  truth,"  as  Carlyle  puts  it,  can  never  injure 
the  fame  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  It  will  stand  that 
or  any  other  test,  and  at  last  untarnished  will  reach 
the  loftiest  niche  in  American  history. 

My  long  personal  association  with  Mr.  Lincoln 
gave  me  special  facilities  in  the  direction  of  obtain 
ing  materials  for  these  volumes.  Such  were  our 
relations  during  all  that  portion  of  his  life  when  he 
was  rising  to  distinction,  that  I  had  only  to  exer 
cise  a  moderate  vigilance  in  order  to  gather  and 
preserve  the  real  data  of  his  personal  career.  Be 
ing  strongly  drawn  to  the  man,  and  believing  in  his 
destiny,  I  was  not  unobservant  or  careless  in  this 
respect.  It  thus  happened  that  I  became  the  per 
sonal  depositary  of  the  larger  part  of  the  most  valu 
able  Lincolniana  in  existence.  Out  of  this  store 
the  major  portion  of  the  materials  of  the  following 
volumes  has  been  drawn.  I  take  this,  my  first 
general  opportunity,  to  return  thanks  to  the  scores 
of  friends  in  Kentucky,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  else 
where  for  the  information  they  have  so  generously 
furnished  and  the  favors  they  have  so  kindly 
extended  me.  Their  names  are  too  numerous  for 
separate  mention,  but  the  recompense  of  each  one 
will  be  the  consciousness  of  having  contributed  a 
share  towards  a  true  history  of  the  "first  Ameri 
can." 

Over  twenty  years  ago  I  began  this  book;  but 
an  active  life  at  the  bar  has  caused  me  to  postpone 


xfi  PREFACE. 

the  work  of  composition,  until,  now,  being  some 
what  advanced  in  years,  I  find  myself  unable  to 
carry  out  the  undertaking.  Within  the  past  three 
years  I  have  been  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  the 
book  by  Mr.  Jesse  W.  Weik,  of  Greencastle,  Ind., 
whose  industry,  patience,  and  literary  zeal  have  not 
only  lessened  my  labors,  but  have  secured  for  him 
the  approbation  of  Lincoln's  friends  and  admirers. 
Mr.  Weik  has  by  his  personal  investigation  greatly 
enlarged  our  common  treasure  of  facts  and  informa 
tion.  He  has  for  several  years  been  indefatigable 
in  exploring  the  course  of  Lincoln's  life.  In  no 
particular  has  he  been  satisfied  with  anything  taken 
at  second  hand.  He  has  visited — as  I  also  did  in 
1865 — Lincoln's  birthplace  in  Kentucky,  his  early 
homes  in  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  together,  so  to 
speak,  he  and  I  have  followed  our  hero  continu 
ously  and  attentively  till  he  left  Springfield  in  1861 
to  be  inaugurated  President.  We  have  retained 
the  original  MSS.  in  all  cases,  and  they  have  never 
been  out  of  our  hands.  In  relating  facts  therefore, 
we  refer  to  them  in  most  cases,  rather  than  to  the 
statements  of  other  biographers. 

This  brief  preliminary  statement  is  made  so  that 
posterity,  in  so  far  as  posterity  may  be  interested  in 
the  subject,  may  know  that  the  vital  matter  of  this 
narrative  has  been  deduced  directly  from  the  con 
sciousness,  reminiscences,  and  collected  data  of 


WILLIAM  H.  HERNDON. 


SPIUNGFIELD,  ILL., 
November  1.  1888. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAQB 

Date  and  place  of  Lincoln's  birth. — The  interview  with 
J.  L.  Scripps. — Lincoln's  reference  to  his  mother. — The 
Bible  record. — The  Kentucky  stories  of  Lincoln's  paren 
tage. — The  journal  of  William  Calk. — The  death  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln,  the  President's  grandfather. — Mordecai's 
revenge. — Thomas  Lincoln,  his  marriage  and  married  life. — 
Nancy  Hanks,  the  President's  mother. — Her  sadness  ,  her 
disposition  and  mental  nature. — The  camp-meeting  at  Eliza- 
bethtown.  1-15 


CHAPTER   II. 

Sarah  Lincoln. — She  attends  school  with  her  brother 
Abraham. — The  tribute  by  Helm  to  Abe,  the  little  boy. — 
Boyhood  exploits  with  John  Duncan  and  Austin  Gollaher. 
— Dissatisfaction  of  Thomas  Lincoln  with  Kentucky. — 
The  removal  to  Indiana. — The  "half-faced  camp." — Thomas 
and  Betsy  Sparrow  follow. — How  Thomas  Lincoln  and  the 
Sparrows  farmed. — Life  in  the  Lincoln  cabin. — Abe  and 
David  Turnham  go  to  mill.— Appearance  of  the  "milk 
sick"  in  the  Pigeon  Creek  settlement. — Death  of  the  Spar 
rows. — Death  of  Nancy  Lincoln. — The  widowerhood  of 
Thomas  Lincoln. — He  marries  Sarah  Bush  Johnston. — The 
Lincoln  and  Johnston  children. — 'Tilda  Johnston's  indiscre 
tion. — Attending  school. — Abe's  gallantry  toward  Kate 
Roby. — "Blue  Nose"  Crawford  and  the  book. — Schoolboy 
poetry. — Abe's  habits  of  study. — Testimony  of  his  step 
mother.  ..........  16-44 

CHAPTER  III. 

Abe  reads  his  first  law-book. — The  fight  between  John 
Johnston  and  William  Grigsby. — Recollections  of  Elizabeth 

xiii 


xjv  CONTENTS. 

PJLGB 

Crawford. — Marriage  of  Sarah  Lincoln  and  Aaron  Grigsby. 
— The  wedding  song. — The  "Chronicles  of  Reuben." — 
More  poetry. — Abe  attends  court  at  Booneville. — The  ac 
cident  at  Gordon's  mill. — Borrowing  law-books  of  Judge 
Pitcher. — Compositions  on  Temperance  and  Government. — 
The  journey  with  Allen  Gentry  to  New  Orleans. — Return  to 
Indiana. — Customs  and  superstition  of  the  pioneers. — Reap 
pearance  of  the  "milk  sick." — Removal  to  Illinois. — Abe 
and  his  pet  dog.  .........  45-68 


CHAPTER  IV. 


The  settlement  in  Illinois. — Splitting  rails  with  John 
Hanks. — Building  the  boat  for  Offut. — The  return  to  Illi 
nois. — New  Salem  described. — Clerking  on  the  election 
board. — The  lizard  story. — Salesman  in  Offut's  store. — The 
wrestle  with  Jack  Armstrong. — Studying  in  the  store. — Dis 
appearance  of  Offut. — The  Talisman. — Oliphant's  poetry. 
— The  reception  at  Springfield. — The  Captain's  wife. — Re 
turn  trip  of  the  Talisman. — Rowan  Herndon  and  Lincoln 
pilot  her  through. — The  navigability  of  the  Sangamon 
fully  demonstrated. — The  vessel  reaches  Beardstown.  .  69-91 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  Black  Hawk  war. — Lincoln  elected  captain. — Under 
arrest. — Protecting  the  Indian. — Recollections  of  a  com 
rade. — Lincoln  re-enlists  as  a  private. — Return  to  New 
Salem. — Candidate  for  the  Legislature. — The  handbill. — 
First  political  speech. — The  canvass. — Defeat. — Partnership 
in  the  store  with  Berry. — The  trade  with  William  Greene. — 
Failure  of  the  business. — Law  studies. — Pettifogging. — 
Stories  and  poetry. — Referee  in  rural  sports. — Deputy 
surveyor  under  John  Calhoun. — Studying  with  Mentor 
Graham. — Postmaster  at  New  Salem. — The  incident  with 
Chandler. — Feats  of  Strength. — Second  race  for  the  Legis 
lature. — Election.  92-127 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Lincoln    falls    in    love    with    Anne     Rutledge. — The    old 
story.— Description    of    the    girl.— The     affair     with     John 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE) 

McNeil. — Departure  of  McNeil  for  New  York. — Anne 
learns  of  the  change  of  name. — Her  faith  under  fire. — Lin 
coln  appears  on  the  scene. — Courting  in  dead  earnest. — 
Lincoln's  proposal  accepted. — The  ghost  of  another  love. — 
Death  of  Anne. — Effect  on  Lincoln's  mind. — His  suffering. 
— Kindness  of  Bowlin  Greene.— "Oh,  why  should  the 
spirit  of  mortal  be  proud?" — Letter  to  Dr.  Drake. — Return 
of  McNamar.  .  .  128-142 


CHAPTER  VII. 


An  amusing  courtship. — Lincoln  meets  Mary  S.  Owens. — 
Her  nature,  education,  and  mind. — Lincoln's  boast. — He 
pays  his  addresses. — The  lady's  letters  to  Herndon. — Lin 
coln's  letters. — His  avowals  of  affection. — The  letter  to 
Mrs.  Browning. — Miss  Owens'  estimate  of  Lincoln.  .  .  143-161 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Lincoln  a  member  of  the  Legislature  at  Vandalia. — First 
meeting  with  Douglas. — The  society  of  Vandalia. — Pioneer 
legislation. — Deputy  surveyor  under  Thomas  M.  Neal. — • 
Candidate  for  the  Legislature  again. — Another  handbill. — 
Favors  "Woman's  Rights." — The  letter  to  Col.  Robert 
Allen. — The  canvass. — The  answer  to  George  Forquer. — 
The  election,  Lincoln  leading  the  ticket. — The  "Long 
Nine." — Reckless  legislation. — The  "DeWitt  Clinton"  of 
Illinois. — Internal  improvements. — The  removal  of  the 
capital  to  Springfield. — The  Committee  on  Finance. — The 
New  England  importation. — The  Lincoln-Stone  protest. — 
Return  of  the  "Long  Nine"  to  Springfield. — Lincoln  re 
moves  to  Springfield. — Licensed  to  practise  law. — In  part 
nership  with  John  T.  Stuart. — Early  practice. — Generosity 
of  Joshua  F.  Speed. — The  bar  of  Springfield. — Speed's 
store. — Political  discussions. — More  poetry. — Lincoln  ad 
dresses  the  "Young  Men's  Lyceum." — The  debate  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church. — Elected  to  the  Legislature  again. — 
Answering  Col.  Dick  Taylor  on  the  stump. — Rescue  of 
Baker. — Last  canvass  for  the  Legislature. — The  Thomas 
"skinning." — The  presidential  canvass  of  1840.  .  .  162-199 


xvi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IX. 


PACT 

Lincoln  still  unmarried. — The  Todd  family. — Mary  Todd. 
— Introduced  to  Lincoln. — The  courtship. — The  flirtation 
with  Douglas. — The  advice  of  Speed. — How  Lincoln  broke 
the  engagement. — Preparations  for  marriage. — A  disap 
pointed  bride. — A  crazy  groom. — Speed  takes  Lincoln  to 
Kentucky. — Restored  spirits. — Return  of  Lincoln  to  Illinois. 
— Letters  to  Speed. — The  party  at  Simeon  Francis's  house. — 
The  reconciliation. — The  marriage. — The  duel  with  James 
Shields. — The  "Rebecca"  letters. — "Cathleen"  invokes 
the  muse. — Whiteside's  account  of  the  duel. — Merryman's 
account. — Lincoln's  address  before  the  Washingtonian  Soci 
ety. — Meeting  with  Martin  Van  Buren. — Partnership  with 
Stephen  T.  Logan. — Partnership  with  William  H.  Herndon. 
— Congressional  aspirations. — Nomination  and  election  of 
John  J.  Hardin. — The  Presidential  campaign  of  1844. — Lin 
coln  takes  the  stump  in  Southern  Indiana. — Lincoln  nomi 
nated  for  Congress. — The  canvass  against  Peter  Cartwright. 
— Lincoln  elected. — In  Congress. — The  "Spot  Resolutions." 
— Opposes  the  Mexican  war. — Letters  to  Herndon. — 
Speeches  in  Congress. — Stumping  through  New  England. — 
A  Congressman's  troubles. — A  characteristic  letter. — End  of 
Congressional  term. 205-294 


CHAPTER  X. 


Early  married  life. — Boarding  at  the  "Globe  Tavern." — 
A  plucky  little  wife. — Niagara  Falls. — The  patent  for  lifting 
vessels  over  shoals. — Candidate  for  Commissioner  of  the 
Land  Office. — The  appointment  of  Butterfleld. — The  offer 
of  Territorial  posts  by  President  Taylor. — A  journey  to 
Washington  and  incidents. — Return  to  Illinois. — Settling 
down  to  practice  law. — Life  on  the  circuit. — Story-telling. — 
Habits  as  lawyer  and  methods  of  study. — Law-office  of  Lin 
coln  and  Herndon. — Recollections  of  Littlefleld. — Studying 
Euclid. — Taste  for  literature. — Lincoln's  first  appearance  in 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois. — Professional  honor  and 
personal  honesty. — The  juror  in  the  divorce  case.  .  .  295-331 


CONTENTS.  xvii 

CHAPTER  XL 

PAGE 

A  glimpse  into  the  law  office. — How  Lincoln  kept  accounts 
and  divided  fees  with  his  partner. — Lincoln  in  the  argument 
of  a  case. — The  tribute  of  David  Davis. — Characteristics 
as  a  lawyer. — One  of  Lincoln's  briefs. — The  Wright  case. — 
Defending  the  ladies. — Reminiscences  of  the  circuit. — The 
suit  against  the  Illinois  Central  railroad. — The  Manny  case. 
First  meeting  with  Edwin  M.  Stanton. — Defense  of  William 
Armstrong. — Last  law-suit  in  Illinois. — The  dinner  at  Ar 
nold's  in  Chicago.  ...  ....  332-360 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Speech  before  the  Scott  Club. — A  talk  with  John  T.  Stu 
art. — Newspapers  and  political  literature. — Passage  of  the 
Kansas-Nebraska  bill. — The  signs  of  discontent. — The  arri 
val  of  Douglas  in  Chicago. — Speech  at  the  State  Fair. — The 
answer  of  Lincoln. — The  article  in  the  Conservative. — Lin 
coln's  escape  from  the  Abolitionists. — Following  up  Doug 
las. — Breach  of  agreement  by  Douglas. — The  contest  in 
the  Legislature  for  Senator. — Lincoln's  magnanimity. — 
Election  of  Trumbull. — Interview  with  the  Governor  of 
Illinois. — The  outrages  in  the  Territories. — Lincoln's  judi 
cious  counsel. — A  letter  to  Speed. — The  call  for  the  Bloom- 
ington  Convention. — Lincoln's  telegram. — Speech  at  the 
Convention. — The  ratification  at  Springfield. — The  cam 
paign  of  1856. — Demands  for  Lincoln. — The  letter  to  the 
Fillmore  men.  .  361-389 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Growth  of  Lincoln's  reputation. — His  dejection. — Gree- 
ley's  letters. — Herndon's  mission  to  the  Eastern  states. — 
Interviews  with  Seward,  Douglas,  Greeley,  Beecher,  and 
others. — The  letter  from  Boston. — The  Springfield  conven 
tion. — Lincoln  nominated  Senator. — The  "house-divided 
against-itself"  speech. — Reading  it  to  his  friends. — Their 
comments  and  complaints. — Douglas's  first  speech  in 
Chicago. — The  joint  canvass. — Lincoln  and  Douglas  con 
trasted. — Lincoln  on  the  stump. — Positions  of  Lincoln  and 


xviii  CONTENTS. 

PA.QB 

Douglas. — Incidents  of  the  debate.  The  result — More 
letters  from  Horace  Greeley. — How  Lincoln  accepted  his 
defeat. — A  specimen  of  his  oratory 390-422 

CHAPTER  XIV. 


A  glimpse  of  Lincoln's  home. — Sunday  in  the  office  with 
the  boys. — Mrs.  Lincoln's  temper. — Troubles  with  the  ser 
vants. — Letter  to  John  E.  Rosette. — What  Lincoln  did 
when  the  domestic  sea  was  troubled. — A  retrospect. — Lin 
coln's  want  of  speculation. — His  superstition. — Reading  the 
life  of  Edmund  Burke. — His  scientific  notions. — Writing  the 
book  against  Christianity. — Recollections  of  Lincoln's  views 
by  old  friends. — Statement  of  Mrs.  Lincoln.  .  .  .  423-446 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Effect  of  the  canvass  of  1858  on  Lincoln's  pocket-book. — 
Attempts  to  lecture. — On  the  stump  with  Douglas  in  Ohio. — 
Incidents  of  the  Ohio  canvass. — The  dawn  of  1860. — Presi 
dential  suggestions. — Meeting  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary 
of  State. — The  Cooper  Institute  speech. — Speaking  in  New 
England. — Looming  up. — Preparing  for  Chicago. — Letters 
to  a  friend. — The  Decatur  convention. — John  Hanks  bring 
ing  in  the  rails. — The  Chicago  convention. — The  canvass  of 
1860. — Lincoln  casting  his  ballot. — Attitude  of  the  clergy  in 
Springfield. — The  election  and  result.  ....  447-468 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Arrival  of  the  office-seekers  in  Springfield. — Recollections 
of  a  newspaper  correspondent. — How  Lincoln  received  the 
cabinet-makers. — Making  up  the  cabinet. — A  letter  from 
Henry  Wilson. — Visiting  Chicago  and  meeting  with  Joshua 
F.  Speed. — Preparing  the  Inaugural  address. — Lincoln's  self- 
confidence. — Separation  from  his  step-mother. — Last  days 
in  Springfield. — Parting  with  old  associates. — Departure  of 
the  Presidential  party  from  Springfield. — The  journey  to 
Washington  and  efforts  to  interrupt  the  same. — The  investi 
gations  of  Allan  Pinkerton. — The  Inauguration.  .  .  469-497 


CONTENTS.  xix 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

PAGH 

In  the  Presidential  chair. — Looking  after  his  friends. — 
Settling  the  claims  of  David  Davis. — Swett's  letter. — The 
visit  of  Herndon. — The  testimony  of  Mrs.  Edwards. — Letter 
from  and  interview  with  Mrs.  Lincoln. — A  glimpse  into  the 
White  House. — A  letter  from  John  Hay. — Bancroft's 
eulogy.  Strictures  of  David  Davis. — Dennis  Hanks  in 
Washington.  .  .  .  498-520 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


The   recollections    of   Lincoln  by   Joshua   F.    Speed. — An 
Interesting    letter    by    Leonard    Swett.          .          .          .          521-538 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Lincoln  face  to  face  with  the  realities  of  civil  war. — 
Master  of  the  situation. — The  distrust  of  old  politicians. — 
How  the  President  viewed  the  battle  of  Bull  Run. — An 
interesting  reminiscence  by  Robert  L.  Wilson. — Lincoln's 
plan  to  suppress  the  Rebellion. — Dealing  with  McClellan 
and  Grant. — Efforts  to  hasten  the  Emancipation  Proclama 
tion. — Lincoln  withstands  the  pressure. — Calling  the  Cabinet 
together  and  reading  the  decree. — The  letter  to  the  "Uncon- 
ditional-T;Fhioii"  men. — The  campaign  of  1864. — Lincoln  and 
Andrew  Johnson  nominated  and  elected. — The  sensational 
report  o£  Judge  Advocate  General  Holt. — Interesting  state 
ments  by  David  Davis  and  Joseph  E.  McDonald. — How 
the  President  regained  Indiana  in  the  column  of  Republi 
can  States. — The  letter  to  General  Sherman. — The  result  of 
the  lection. — The  second  Inauguration. — The  address. — 
Military  movements. — The  surrender  at  Appomattox. — Lin 
coln  visits  the  army  in  Virginia. — Entering  Richmond. — The 
end  of  the  war  and  the  dawn  of  peace. — Stricken  down  by 
the  assassin,  John  Wilkes  Booth. — Details  of  the  cruel  deed. 
— The  President's  death. — The  funeral  at  the  White  House. 
— Conveying  the  remains  of  the  dead  chieftain  to  Spring 
field. — The  tribute  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher. — The  funeral 
at  Springfield. — The  capture  and  death  of  Booth. — The 
arrest,  trial,  and  execution  of  his  fellow  conspirators.  .  539-581 


XX  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

PAQH 

The  visit  of  Dr.  Holland  to  Springfield. — What  he  learned 
from  Lincoln's  neighbors. — Their  contradictory  opinions. 
— Description  by  the  author  of  Lincoln's  person. — How 
he  walked. — His  face  and  head. — Cause  of  his  melancholy. 
— His  perceptions. — His  memory  and  association  of  ideas. — 
Concentration  of  thought. — The  crucible  of  his  analytical 
mind. — The  secret  of  his  judgment. — The  faith  of  his  opin 
ions  and  the  firmness  of  his  conclusions. — His  belief  in  the 
power  of  motive. — The  four  great  elements  of  his  character. 
— His  reason ;  his  conscience ;  his  sense  of  right ;  his  love 
of  the  truth. — A  meek,  quiet,  unobtrusive  gentleman. — His 
humanity. — Will  power. — Want  of  interest  in  local  affairs 
and  small  things. — Love  for  his  friends. — The  combination 
of  characteristics. — His  intense  devotion  to  the  truth. — His 
weak  points. — Cool  and  masterly  power  of  statement. — 
Simplicity  and  candor :  easy  of  approach  and  thoroughly 
democratic. — His  presence  a  charm,  and  his  conversation 
a  sweet  recollection. — A  leader  of  the  people. — Strong  with 
the  masses. — A  conservative  statesman. — The  central  figure 
of  our  national  history. — The  sublime  type  of  our  civiliza 
tion. — The  man  for  the  hour.  .  582-611 


APPENDIX. 

Unpublished  Family  Letters           .           .           «  .           .  613 

An  Incident  on  the  Circuit        .           .           .           .  .           .  619 

Lincoln's  Fellow  Lawyers       .           .           .           .  .           .  620 

The  Truce  with  Douglas. — Testimony  of  Irwin        .  .         .  621 

The  Bloomington  Convention.           .           .           .  .           .  621 

An  Office  Discussion. — Lincoln's  Idea  of  War         .  .         .  622 

Lincoln   and   the  Know-Nothings         .          .          .  .          .  623 

Lincoln's  Views  on  the  Rights  of  Suffrage      .         .  .         .  625 

The  Burial  of  the  Assassin  Booth           »           .  .           .  625 

A  Tribute  to  Lincoln  by  a  Colleague  at  the  Bar  .         .  626 

INDEX  629 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN 


CHAPTER  I. 

BEYOND  the  fact  that  he  was  born  on  th^  12th 
day  of  February,  1809,  in  Hardin  county,  Ken 
tucky,  Mr.  Lincoln  usually  had  but  little  to  say  of 
himself,  the  lives  of  his  parents,  or  the  history  of 
the  family  before  their  removal  to  Indiana.  If  he 
mentioned  the  subject  at  all,  it  was  with  great  re 
luctance  and  significant  reserve.  There  was  some 
thing  about  his  origin  he  never  cared  to  dwell 
upon.  His  nomination  for  the  Presidency  in  1860, 
however,  made  the  publication  of  his  life  a  neces 
sity,  and  attracted  to  Springfield  an  army  of  cam 
paign  biographers  and  newspaper  men.  They  met 
him  in  his  office,  stopped  him  in  his  walks,  and  fol 
lowed  him  to  his  house.  Artists  came  to  paint  his 
picture,  and  sculptors  to  make  his  bust.  His  auto 
graphs  were  in  demand,  and  people  came  long  dis 
tances  to  shake  him  by  the  hand.  This  sudden  ele 
vation  to  national  prominence  found  Mr.  Lincoln 
unprepared  in  a  great  measure  for  the  unaccus 
tomed  demonstrations  that  awaited  him.  While  he 
was  easy  of  approach  and  equally  courteous  to  all, 


2  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

yet,  as  he  said  to  me  one  evening  after  a  long  day 
of  hand-shaking,  he  could  not  understand  why 
people  should  make  so  much  over  him. 

Among  the  earliest  newspaper  men  to  arrive  in 
Springfield  after  the  Chicago  convention  was  the 
late  J.  L.  Scripps  of  the  Chicago  Tribune,  who  pro 
posed  to  prepare  a  history  of  his  life.  Mr.  Lincoln 
deprecated  the  idea  of  writing  even  a  campaign 
biography.  "Why,  Scripps,"  said  he,  "it  is  a  great 
piece  of  folly  to  attempt  to  make  anything  out  of 
me  or  my  early  life.  It  can  all  be  condensed  into  a 
single  sentence,  and  that  sentence  you  will  find  in 
Gray's  Elegy, 

'The  short  and  simple  annals  of  the  poor.'    • 

That's  my  life,  and  that's  all  you  or  anyone  else 
can  make  out  of  it." 

He  did,  however,  communicate  some  facts  and 
meagre  incidents  of  his  early  days,  and,  with  the 
matter  thus  obtained,  Mr.  Scripps  prepared  his 
book.  Soon  after  the  death  of  Lincoln  I  received 
a  letter  from  Scripps,  in  which,  among  other  things, 
he  recalled  the  meeting  with  Lincoln,  and  the  view 
he  took  of  the  biography  matter. 

"Lincoln  seemed  to  be  painfully  impressed,"  he 
wrote,  "with  the  extreme  poverty  of  his  early  sur 
roundings,  and  the  utter  absence  of  all  romantic 
and  heroic  elements.  He  communicated  some 
facts  to  me  concerning  his  ancestry,  which  he  did 
not  wish  to  have  published  then,  and  which  I  have 
never  spoken  of  or  alluded  to  before." 

What  the  facts  referred  to  by  Mr.  Scripps  were 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  j 

we  do  not  know ;  for  he  died  several  years  ago  with 
out,  so  far  as  is  known,  revealing  them  to  anyone. 

On  the  subject  of  his  ancestry  and  origin  I  only 
remember  one  time  when  Mr.  Lincoln  ever  referred 
to  it.  It  was  about  1850,  when  he  and  I  were  driv 
ing  in  his  one-horse  buggy  to  the  court  in  Menard 
county,  Illinois.  The  suit  we  were  going  to  try 
was  one  in  which  we  were  likely,  either  directly  or 
collaterally,  to  touch  upon  the  subject  of  hereditary 
traits.  During  the  ride  he  spoke,  for  the  first  time 
in  my  hearing,  of  his  mother,*  dwelling  on  her  char 
acteristics,  and  mentioning  or  enumerating  what 
qualities  he  inherited  from  her.  He  said,  among 
other  things,  that  she  was  the  illegitimate  daughter 
of  Lucy  Hanks  and  a  well-bred  Virginia  farmer  or 
planter;  and  he  argued  that  from  this  last  source 
came  his  power  of  analysis,  his  logic,  his  mental 
activity,  his  ambition,  and  all  the  qualities  that 
distinguished  him  from  the  other  members  and 
descendants  of  the  Hanks  family.  His  theory  in 
discussing  the  matter  of  hereditary  traits  had  been, 
that,  for  certain  reasons,  illegitimate  children  are 
oftentimes  sturdier  and  brighter  than  those  born 
in  lawful  wedlock;  and  in  his  case,  he  believed  that 
his  better  nature  and  finer  qualities  came  from  this 
broad-minded,  unknown  Virginian.  The  revelation 


*  Dennis  and  John  Hanks  have  always  insisted  that  Lincoln's 
mother  was  not  a  Hanks,  but  a  Sparrow.  Both  of  them  wrote 
to  me  that  such  was  the  fact.  Their  object  in  insisting  on 
this  is  apparent  when  it  is  shown  that  Nancy  Hanks  was  the 
daughter  of  Lucy  Hanks,  who  afterward  married  Henry  Spar 
row.  It  will  be  observed  that  Mr.  Lincoln  claimed  that  his 
mother  was  a  Hanks. 


4  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

— painful  as  it  was — called  up  the  recollection  of 
his  mother,  and,  as  the  buggy  jolted  over  the  road, 
he  added  ruefully,  "God  bless  my  mother;  all  that 
I  am  or  ever  hope  to  be  I  owe  to  her,"  *  and  im 
mediately  lapsed  into  silence.  Our  interchange  of 
ideas  ceased,  and  we  rode  on  for  some  time  without 
exchanging  a  word.  He  was  sad  and  absorbed. 
Burying  himself  in  thought,  and  musing  no  doubt 
over  the  disclosure  he  had  just  made,  he  drew 
round  him  a  barrier  which  I  feared  to  penetrate. 
His  words  and  melancholy  tone  made  a  deep  im 
pression  on  me.  It  was  an  experience  I  can  never 
forget.  As  we  neared  the  town  of  Petersburg  we 
were  overtaken  by  an  old  man  who  rode  beside  us 
for  awhile,  and  entertained  us  with  reminiscences 
of  days  on  the  frontier.  Lincoln  was  reminded  of 
several  Indiana  stories,  and  by  the  time  we  had 
reached  the  unpretentious  court-house  at  our  desti 
nation,  his  sadness  had  passed  away. 

In  only  two  instances  did  Mr.  Lincoln  over  his 
own  hand  leave  any  record  of  his  history  or  family 
descent.  One  of  these  was  the  modest  bit  of  autobi 
ography  furnished  to  Jesse  W.  Fell,  in  1859,  in  which 
after  stating  that  his  parents  were  born  in  Virginia 
of  "undistinguished  or  second  families,"  he  makes 
the  brief  mention  of  his  mother,  saying  that  she 
came  "of  a  family  of  the  name  of  Hanks."  The 


*  If  anyone  will  take  the  pains  to  read  the  Fell  autobiography 
they  will  be  struck  with  Lincoln's  meagre  reference  to  his 
mother.  He  even  fails  to  give  her  maiden  or  Christian  name, 
and  devotes  but  three  lines  to  her  family.  A  history  of  the 
Lincolns  occupies  almost  an  entire  page. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  5 

other  record  was  the  register  of  marriages,  births, 
and  deaths  which  he  made  in  his  father's  Bible. 
The  latter  now  lies  before  me.  That  portion  of  the 
page  which  probably  contained  the  record  of  the 
marriage  of  his  parents,  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy 
Hanks,  has  been  lost;  but  fortunately  the  records 
of  Washington  county,  Kentucky,  and  the  certifi 
cate  of  the  minister  who  performed  the  marriage 
ceremony — the  Rev.  Jesse  Head — fix  the  fact  and 
date  of  the  latter  on  the  12th  day  of  June,  1806. 

On  the  10th  day  of  February  in  the  following  year 
a  daughter  Sarah*  was  born,  and  two  years  later, 
on  the  12th  of  February,  the  subject  of  these  mem 
oirs  came  into  the  world.  After  him  came  the  last 
child,  a  boy — named  Thomas  after  his  father — who 
lived  but  a  few  days.  No  mention  of  his  existence 
is  found  in  the  Bible  record. 

After  Mr.  Lincolnf  had  attained  some  prominence 


*  Most  biographers  of  Lincoln,  in  speaking  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
sister,  call  her  Nancy,  some — notably  Nicolay  and  Hay — insist 
ing  that  she  was  known  by  that  name  among  her  family  and 
friends.  In  this  they  are  in  error.  I  have  interviewed  the 
different  members  of  the  Hanks  and  Lincoln  families  who  sur 
vived  the  President,  and  her  name  was  invariably  given  as 
Sarah.  The  mistake,  I  think,  arises  from  the  fact  that,  in  the 
Bible  record  referred  to,  all  that  portion  relating  to  the  birth 
of  "Sarah,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln,"  down  to 
the  word  Nancy  has  been  torn  away,  and  the  latter  name  has 
therefore  been  erroneously  taken  for  that  of  the  daughter. 
Reading  the  entry  of  Abraham's  birth  below  satisfies  one  that 
it  must  refer  to  t*ie  mother. 

t  Regarding  the  paternity  of  Lincoln  a  great  many  surmises 
and  a  still  larger  amount  of  unwritten  or,  at  least,  unpub 
lished  history  have  drifted  into  the  currents  of  western  lore 
and  journalism.  A  number  of  such  traditions  are  extant  in 
Kentucky  and  other  localities.  Mr.  Weik  has  spent  consider- 


5  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN, 

in  the  world,  persons  who  knew  both  himself  and 
his  father  were  constantly  pointing  to  the  want  of 
resemblance  between  the  two.  The  old  gentleman 
was  not  only  devoid  of  energy,  and  shiftless,  but 
dull,  and  these  persons  were  unable  to  account 
for  the  source  of  his  son's  ambition  and  his  intel 
lectual  superiority  over  other  men.  Hence  the 
charge  so  often  made  in  Kentucky  that  Mr.  Lin 
coln  was  in  reality  the  offspring  of  a  Hardin  or  a 
Marshall,  or  that  he  had  in  his  veins  the  blood  of 
some  of  the  'noted  families  who  held  social  and 
intellectual  sway  in  the  western  part  of  the  State. 
These  serious  hints  were  the  outgrowth  of  the 
campaign  of  1860,  which  was  conducted  with  such 
unrelenting  prejudice  in  Kentucky  that  in  the 
county  where  Lincoln  was  born  only  six  persons 
could  be  found  who  had  the  courage  to  vote  for 
him.*  I  remember  that  after  his  nomination  for 


able  time  investigating  the  truth  of  a  report  current  in  Bourbon 
county,  Kentucky,  that  Thomas  Lincoln,  for  a  consideration  from 
one  Abraham  Inlow,  a  miller  there,  assumed  the  paternity  of 
the  infant  child  of  a  poor  girl  named  Nancy  Hanks ;  and,  after 
marriage,  removed  with  her  to  Washington  or  Hardin  county, 
where  the  son,  who  was  named  "Abraham,  after  his  real,  and 
Lincoln  after  his  putative,  father,"  was  born.  A  prominent 
citizen  of  the  town  of  Mount  Sterling  in  that  state,  who  was 
at  one  time  judge  of  the  court  and  subsequently  editor  of  a 
newspaper,  and  who  was  descended  from  the  Abraham  Inlow 
mentioned,  has  written  a  long  argument  in  support  of  his 
alleged  kinship  through  this  source  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  em 
phasizes  the  striking  similarity  in  stature,  facial  features,  and 
length  of  arms,  notwithstanding  the  well  established  fact 
that  the  first-born  child  of  the  real  Nancy  Hanks  was  not 
a  boy  but  a  girl ;  and  that  the  marriage  did  not  take  place 
in  Bourbon,  but  in  Washington  county. 

*  R.    L.    Wintersmith.    of   Elizabethtown,    Kentucky. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  7 

the  Presidency  Mr.  Lincoln  received  from  Kentucky 
many  inquiries  about  his  family  and  origin.  This 
curiosity  on  the  part  of  the  people  in  one  who  had 
attained  such  prominence  was  perfectly  natural,  but 
it  never  pleased  him  in  the  least;  in  fact,  to  one 
man  who  was  endeavoring  to  establish  a  relation 
ship  through  the  Hanks  family  he  simply  answered, 
"You  are  mistaken  about  my  mother,"  without 
explaining  the  mistake  or  making  further  mention 
of  the  matter.  Samuel  Haycraft,  the  clerk  of  the 
court  in  Hardin  county,  invited  him  to  visit  the 
scenes  of  his  birth  and  boyhood,  which  led  him  to 
say  this  in  a  letter,  June  4,  1860  :*  "You  suggest 
that  a  visit  to  the  place  of  my  nativity  might  be 
pleasant  to  me.  Indeed  it  would,  but  would  it  be 
safe?  Would  not  the  people  lynch  me?"  That 
reports  reflecting  on  his  origin  and  descent  should 
arise  in  a  community  in  which  he  felt  that  his  life 
was  unsafe  is  by  no  means  surprising.  Abraham 
Lincoln,f  the  grandfather  of  the  President,  emi 
grated  to  Jefferson  county,  Kentucky,  from  Virginia 
about  1780,  and  from  that  time  forward  the  former 
State  became  an  important  one  in  the  history  of  the 
family,  for  in  it  was  destined  to  be  born  its  most 
illustrious  member.  About  five  years  before  this, 
a  handful  of  Virginians  had  started  across  the 


*  Unpublished  MS. 

t  Regarding  the  definition  of  the  names  "Lincoln"  and 
"Hanks"  it  is  said,  the  first  is  merely  a  local  name  without 
any  special  meaning,  and  the  second  is  the  old  English  diminu 
tive  of  "Hal"  or  "Harry." 


8  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

mountains  for  Kentucky,  and  in  the  company, 
besides  their  historian,  William  Calk, — whose  diary 
recently  came  to  light, — was  one  Abraham  Hanks. 
They  were  evidently  a  crowd  of  jolly  young  men 
bent  on  adventure  and  fun,  but  their  sport  was 
attended  with  frequent  disasters.  Their  journey 
began  at  "Mr.  Friges'  tavern  on  the  Rapidan." 
When  only  a  few  days  out  "Hanks'  Dog's  leg  got 
broke."  Later  in  the  course  of  the  journey,  Hanks 
and  another  companion  became  separated  from  the 
rest  of  the  party  and  were  lost  in  the  mountains  for 
two  days ;  in  crossing  a  stream  "Abraham's  saddle 
turned  over  and  his  load  all  fell  in  Indian  creek" ; 
finally  they  meet  their  brethren  from  whom  they 
have  been  separated  and  then  pursue  their  way 
without  further  interruption.  Returning  emigrants 
whom  they  meet,  according  to  the  journal  of  Calk, 
"tell  such  News  of  the  Indians"  that  certain  mem 
bers  of  the  company  are  "afrade  to  go  aney  further.''' 
The  following  day  more  or  less  demoralization 
takes  place  among  the  members  of  this  pioneer 
party  when  the  announcement  is  made,  as  their 
chronicler  so  faithfully  records  it,  that  "Philip 
Drake  Bakes  bread  without  washing  his  hands." 
This  was  an  unpardonable  sin,  and  at  it  they 
revolted.  A  day  later  the  record  shows  that 
"Abram  turns  Back."  Beyond  this  we  shall  never 
know  what  became  of  Abraham  Hanks,  for  no  fur 
ther  mention  of  him  is  made  in  this  or  any  other 
history.  He  may  have  returned  to  Virginia  and 
become,  for  aught  we  know,  one  of  the  President's 
ancestors  on  the  maternal  side  of  the  house;  but  if 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  9 

so  his  illustrious  descendant  was  never  able  to  estab 
lish  the  fact  or  trace  his  lineage  satisfactorily 
beyond  the  first  generation  which  preceded  him. 
He  never  mentioned  who  his  maternal  grandfather 
was,  if  indeed  he  knew. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  Abraham  Lincoln,*  the 
pioneer  from  Virginia,  met  his  death  within  two 
years  after  his  settlement  in  Kentucky  at  the  hands 
of  the  Indians ;  "not  in  battle,"  as  his  distinguished 
grandson  tells  us,  "but  by  stealth,  when  he  was 
laboring  to  open  a  farm  in  the  forest."  The  story 
of  his  death  in  sight  of  his  youngest  son  Thomas, 
then  only  six  years  old,  is  by  no  means  a  new  one  to 
the  world.  In  fact  I  have  often  heard  the  President 
describe  the  tragedy  as  he  had  inherited  the  story 
from  his  father.  The  dead  pioneer  had  three  sons, 
Mordecai,  Josiah,  and  Thomas,  in  the  order  named. 
When  the  father  fell,  Mordecai,  having  hastily  sent 
Josiah  to  the  neighboring  fort  after  assistance,  ran 
into  the  cabin,  and  pointing  his  rifle  through  a 
crack  between  the  logs,  prepared  for  defense. 
Presently  an  Indian  came  stealing  up  to  the  dead 
father's  body.  Beside  the  latter  sat  the  little  boy 
Thomas.  Mordecai  took  deliberate  aim  at  a  silver 
crescent  which  hung  suspended  from  the  Indian's 
breast,  and  brought  him  to  the  ground.  Josiah 
returned  from  the  fort  with  the  desired  relief,  and 


*  "They  [the  Lincolns]  were  also  called  Linkhorns.  The  old 
settlers  had  a  way  of  pronouncing  names  not  as  they  were 
spelled,  but  rather,  it  seemed,  as  they  pleased.  Thus  they 
called  Medcalf  'Medcap,'  and  Raster  they  pronounced  'Custard.'  " 
—MS.  letter,  Charles  Friend,  March  19,  1866. 


10  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

the    savages    were    easily  dispersed,    leaving    behind 
one  dead  and  one  wounded. 

The  tragic  death  of  his  father  filled  Mordecai 
with  an  intense  hatred  of  the  Indians — a  feeling 
from  which  he  never  recovered.  It  was  ever  with 
him  like  an  avenging  spirit.  From  Jefferson  county 
he  removed  to  Grayson,  where  he  spent  the  re 
mainder  of  his  days.  A  correspondent*  from 
there  wrote  me  in  1865 :  "Old  Mordecai  was  easily 
stirred  up  by  the  sight  of  an  Indian.  One 
time,  hearing  of  a  few  Indians  passing  through 
the  county,  he  mounted  his  horse,  and  taking  his 
rifle  on  his  shoulder,  followed  on  after  them  and 
was  gone  two  days.  When  he  returned  he  said 
he  left  one  lying  in  a  sink  hole.  The  Indians,  he 
said,  had  killed  his  father,  and  he  was  determined 
before  he  died  to  have  satisfaction."  The  young 
est  boy,  Thomas,  retained  a  vivid  recollection  of  his 
father's  death,  which,  together  with  other  remi 
niscences  of  his  boyhood,  he  was  fond  of  relating 
later  in  life  to  his  children  to  relieve  the  tedium 
of  long  winter  evenings.  Mordecai  and  Josiah,f 
both  remaining  in  Kentucky,  became  the  heads  of 
good-sized  families,  and  although  never  known  or 


*  W.   T.   Claggett,  unpublished  MS. 

t  "I  knew  Mordecai  and  Josiah  Lincoln  intimately.  They 
were  excellent  men,  plain,  moderately  educated,  candid  in 
their  manners  and  intercourse,  and  looked  upon  as  honorable 
as  any  men  I  have  ever  heard  of.  Mordecai  was  the  oldest 
son,  and  his  father  having  been  killed  by  the  Indians  before 
the  law  of  primogeniture  was  repealed,  he  inherited  a  very 
competent  estate.  The  others  were  poor.  Mordecai  was  cele 
brated  for  his  bravery,  and  had  been  in  the  early  campaigns 
of  the  West."— Henry  Pirtle,  letter,  June  17,  1865,  MS. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  \  \ 

heard  of  outside  the  limits  of  the  neighborhoods  in 
which  they  lived,  were  intelligent,  well-to-do  men. 
In  Thomas,  roving  and  shiftless,  to  whom  was 
"reserved  the  honor  of  an  illustrious  paternity,"  are 
we  alone  interested.  He  was,  we  are  told,  five  feet 
ten  inches  high,  weighed  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  pounds,  had  a  well-rounded  face,  dark  hazel 
eyes,  coarse  black  hair,  and  was  slightly  stoop- 
shouldered.  His  build  was  so  compact  that  Dennis 
Hanks  used  to  say  he  could  not  find  the  point  of 
separation  between  his  ribs.  He  was  proverbially 
slow  of  movement,  mentally  and  physically;  was 
careless,  inert,  and  dull;  was  sinewy,  and  gifted 
with  great  strength;  was  inoffensively  quiet  and 
peaceable,  but  when  roused  to  resistance  a  danger 
ous  antagonist.  He  had  a  liking  for  jokes  and 
stories,  which  was  one  of  the  few  traits  he  trans 
mitted  to  his  illustrious  son;  was  fond  of  the  chase, 
and  had  no  marked  aversion  for  the  bottle,  though 
in  the  latter  case  he  indulged  no  more  freely  than 
the  average  Kentuckian  of  his  day.  At  the  time 
of  his  marriage  to  Nancy  Hanks  he  could  neither 
read  nor  write;  but  his  wife,  who  was  gifted  with 
more  education,  and  was  otherwise  his  mental  supe 
rior,  taught  him,  it  is  said,  to  write  his  name  and 
to  read — at  least,  he  was  able  in  later  years  to  spell 
his  way  slowly  through  the  Bible.  In  his  relig 
ious  belief  he  first  affiliated  with  the  Free-Will 
Baptists.  After  his  removal  to  Indiana  he  changed 
his  adherence  to  the  Presbyterians — or  Predestina- 
rians,  as  they  were  then  called — and  later  united 
with  the  Christian — vulgarly  called  Campbellite — 


12  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

Church,  in  which  latter  faith  he  is  supposed  to  have 
died.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  essayed 
farming  too ;  but  in  this,  as  in  almost  every  other 
undertaking,  he  was  singularly  unsuccessful.  He 
was  placed  in  possesion  of  several  tracts  of  land  at 
different  times  in  his  life,  but  was  never  able  to  pay 
for  a  single  one  of  them.  The  farm  on  which  he 
died  was  one  his  son  purchased,  providing  a  life 
estate  therein  for  him  and  his  wife.  He  never  fell 
in  with  the  routine  of  labor ;  was  what  some  people 
would  call  unfortunate  or  unlucky  in  all  his  business 
ventures — if  in  reality  he  ever  made  one — and  died 
near  the  village  of  Farmington  in  Coles  county, 
Illinois,  on  the  17th  day  of  January,  1851.  His  son, 
on  account  of  sickness  in  his  own  family,  was 
unable  to  be  present  at  his  father's  bedside,  or  wit 
ness  his  death.  To  those  who  notified  him  of  his 
probable  demise  he  wrote:  "I  sincerely  hope  that 
father  may  yet  recover  his  health;  but  at  all  events 
tell  him  to  remember  to  call  upon  and  confide  in 
our  great  and  good  and  merciful  Maker,  who  will 
not  turn  away  from  him  in  any  extremity.  He 
notes  the  fall  of  a  sparrow,  and  numbers  the  hairs 
of  our  heads;  and  He  will  not  forget  the  dying  man 
who  puts  his  trust  in  him.  Say  to  him  that  if  we 
could  meet  now  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  would  not 
be  more  painful  than  pleasant;  but  that  if  it  be  his 
lot  to  go  now  he  will  soon  have  a  joyous  meeting 
with  the  many  loved  ones  gone  before,  and  where 
the  rest  of  us,  through  the  help  of  God,  hope  ere 
long  to  join  them."* 

*  MS.   letter   to   John  Johnston,   Jan.    12,    1851. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  13 

Nancy  Hanks,  the  mother  of  the  President,  at  a 
very  early  age  was  taken  from  her  mother  Lucy — 
afterwards  married  to  Henry  Sparrow — and  sent  to 
live  with  her  aunt  and  uncle,  Thomas  and  Betsy 
Sparrow.  Under  this  same  roof  the  irrepressible 
and  cheerful  waif,  Dennis  Hanks* — whose  name  will 
be  frequently  seen  in  these  pages — also  found  a  shel 
ter.  At  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Thomas  Lin 
coln,  Nancy  was  in  her  twenty-third  year.  She 
was  above  the  ordinary  height  in  stature,  weighed 
about  130  pounds,  was  slenderly  built,  and  had 
much  the  appearance  of  one  inclined  to  consump 
tion.  Her  skin  was  dark;  hair  dark  brown;  eyes 
gray  and  small;  forehead  prominent;  face  sharp  and 
angular,  with  a  marked  expression  of  melancholy 
which  fixed  itself  in  the  memory  of  everyone  who 
ever  saw  or  knew  her.  Though  her  life  was  seem 
ingly  beclouded  by  a  spirit  of  sadness,  she  was  in 
disposition  amiable  and  generally  cheerful.  Mr. 
Lincoln  himself  said  to  me  in  1851,  on  receiving 
the  news  of  his  father's  death,  that  whatever  might 
be  said  of  his  parents,  and  however  unpromising  the 
early  surroundings  of  his  mother  may  have  been,  she 
was  highly  intellectual  by  nature,  had  a  strong 
memory,  acute  judgment,  and  was  cool  and  heroic. 
From  a  mental  standpoint  she  no  doubt  rose  above 
her  surroundings,  and  had  she  lived,  the  stimulus  of 


*  Dennis  Hanks,  still  living  at  the  age  of  ninety  years  in 
Illinois,  was  the  son  of  another  Nancy  Hanks — the  aunt  of 
the  President's  mother.  I  have  his  written  statement  that  he 
came  into  the  world  through  nature's  back-door.  He  never 
stated,  if  he  knew  it,  who  his  father  was. 


14  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

her  nature  would  have  accelerated  her  son's  success, 
and  she  would  have  been  a  much  more  ambitious 
prompter  than  his  father  ever  was. 

As  a  family  the  Hankses  were  peculiar  to  the  civ 
ilization  of  early  Kentucky.  Illiterate  and  super 
stitious,  they  corresponded  to  that  nomadic  class 
still  to  be  met  with  throughout  the  South,  and 
known  as  "poor  whites."  They  are  happily  and 
vividly  depicted  in  the  description  of  a  camp-meet 
ing  held  at  Elizabethtown,  Kentucky,  in  1806,  which 
was  furnished  me  in  August,  1865,  by  an  eye- wit 
ness.*  "The  Hanks  girls,"  narrates  the  latter, 
"were  great  at  camp-meetings.  I  remember  one 
in  1806.  I  will  give  you  a  scene,  and  if  you  will 
then  read  the  books  written  on  the  subject  you  may 
find  some  apology  for  the  superstition  that  was  said 
to  be  in  Abe  Lincoln's  character.  It  was  at  a 
camp-meeting,  as  before  said,  when  a  general  shout 
was  about  to  commence.  Preparations  were  being 
made ;  a  young  lady  invited  me  to  stand  on  a  bench 
by  her  side  where  we  could  see  all  over  the  altar. 
To  the  right  a  strong,  athletic  young  man,  about 
twenty-five  years  old,  was  being  put  in  trim  for  the 
occasion,  which  was  done  by  divesting  him  of  all 
apparel  except  shirt  and  pants.  On  the  left  a 
young  lady  was  being  put  in  trim  in  much  the  same 
manner,  so  that  her  clothes  would  not  be  in  the 
way,  and  so  that,  when  her  combs  flew  out,  her  hair 
would  go  into  graceful  braids.  She,  too,  was 
young — not  more  than  twenty  perhaps.  The  per- 

*  J.   B.  Helm,  MS. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  15 

formance  commenced  about  the  same  time  by  the 
young  man  on  the  right  and  the  young  lady  on  the 
left.  Slowly  and  gracefully  they  worked  their  way 
towards  the  centre,  singing,  shouting,  hugging  and 
kissing,  generally  their  own  sex,  until  at  last  nearer 
and  nearer  they  came.  The  centre  of  the  altar  was 
reached,  and  the  two  closed,  with  their  arms  around 
each  other,  the  man  singing  and  shouting  at  the 
top  of  his  voice. 

"   'I  have  my  Jesus  in  my  arms 

Sweet  as  honey,  strong  as  bacon  ham.' 

"Just  at  this  moment  the  young  lady  holding  to 
my  arm  whispered,  'They  are  to  be  married  next 
week ;  her  name  is  Hanks.'  There  were  very  few 
who  did  not  believe  this  true  religion,  inspired  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  man  who  could  not  believe 
it,  did  well  to  keep  it  to  himself.  The  Hankses  were 
the  finest  singers  and  shouters  in  our  country." 

Here  my  informant  stops,  and  on  account  of  his 
death  several  years  ago  I  failed  to  learn  whether 
the  young  lady  shouter  who  figured  in  the  foregoing 
scene  was  the  President's  mother  or  not.  The  fact 
that  Nancy  Hanks  did  marry  that  year  gives  color 
to  the  belief  that  it  was  she.  As  to  the  probability 
of  the  young  man  being  Thomas  Lincoln  it  is  diffi 
cult  to  say;  such  a  performance  as  the  one  de 
scribed  must  have  required  a  little  more  emotion 
and  enthusiasm  than  the  tardy  and  inert  carpenter 
was  in  the  habit  of  manifesting. 


CHAPTER  II. 

SARAH,  the  sister  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  though  in 
some  respects  like  her  brother,  lacked  his  stature. 
She  was  thick-set,  had  dark-brown  hair,  deep-gray 
eyes,  and  an  even  disposition.  In  contact  with 
others  she  was  kind  and  considerate.  Her  nature 
was  one  of  amiability,  and  God  had  endowed  her 
with  that  invincible  combination — modesty  and 
good  sense.  Strange  to  say,  Mr.  Lincoln  never  said 
much  about  his  sister  in  after  years,  and  we  are 
really  indebted  to  the  Hankses — Dennis  and  John — 
for  the  little  we  have  learned  about  this  rather  un 
fortunate  young  woman.  She  was  married  to 
Aaron  Grigsby,  in  Spencer  county,  Indiana,  in  the 
month  of  August,  1826,  and  died  January  20,  1828. 
Her  brother  accompanied  her  to  school  while  they 
lived  in  Kentucky,  but  as  he  was  only  seven,  and 
as  she  had  not  yet  finished  her  ninth  year  when 
their  father  removed  with  them  to  Indiana,  it  is  to 
be  presumed  that  neither  made  much  progress  in 
the  matter  of  school  education.  Still  it  is  authori 
tatively  stated  that  they  attended  two  schools  dur 
ing  this  short  period.  One  of  these  was  kept  by 
Zachariah  Riney,  the  other  by  Caleb  Hazel.  It 
is  difficult  at  this  late  day  to  learn  much  of  the  boy 
Abraham's  life  during  those  seven  years  of  resi- 

16 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  \J 

dence  in  Kentucky.  One  man,*  who  was  a  clerk  in 
the  principal  store  in  the  village  where  the  Lincolns 
purchased  their  family  supplies,  remembers  him  as 
a  "small  boy  who  came  sometimes  to  the  store  with 
his  mother.  He  would  take  his  seat  on  a  keg  of 
nails,  and  I  would  give  him  a  lump  of  sugar.  He 
would  sit  there  and  eat  it  like  any  other  boy;  but 
these  little  acts  of  kindness,"  observes  my  inform 
ant,  in  an  enthusiastic  statement  made  in  1865,  "so 
impressed  his  mind  that  I  made  a  steadfast  friend 
in  a  man  whose  power  and  influence  have  since 
been  felt  throughout  the  world."  A  school-matef 
of  Lincoln's  at  Hazel's  school,  speaking  of  the  mas 
ter,  says:  "He  perhaps  could  teach  spelling  and 
reading  and  indifferent  writing,  and  possibly  could 
cipher  to  the  rule  of  three;  but  he  had  no  other 
qualification  of  a  teacher,  unless  we  accept  large  size 
and  bodily  strength.  Abe  was  a  mere  spindle 
of  a  boy,  had  his  due  proportion  of  harmless  mis 
chief,  but  as  we  lived  in  a  country  abounding  in 
hazel  switches,  in  the  virtue  of  which  the  master 
had  great  faith,  Abe  of  course  received  his  due 
allowance." 

This  part  of  the  boy's  history  is  painfully  vague 
and  dim,  and  even  after  arriving  at  man's  estate 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  significantly  reserved  when  refer 
ence  was  made  to  it.  It  is  barely  mentioned  in  the 
autobiography  furnished  to  Fell  in  1859.  John 
Duncan, J  afterwards  a  preacher  of  some  promi- 


*  John  B.  Helm,  June  20,  1865. 

t  Samuel   Haycraft,    December    6,    1866. 

I  Letter,   February   21,    1867 


lg  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

nence  in  Kentucky,  relates  how  he  and  Abe  on 
one  occasion  ran  a  ground-hog  into  a  crevice  be 
tween  two  rocks,  and  after  working  vainly  almost 
two  hours  to  get  him  out,  "Abe  ran  off  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  blacksmith  shop,  and 
returned  with  an  iron  hook  fastened  to  the  end  of  a 
pole,"  and  with  this  rude  contrivance  they  virtually 
"hooked"  the  animal  out  of  his  retreat.  Austin 
Gollaher  of  HodgensvillC;  claims  to  have  saved  Lin 
coln  from  drowning  one  day  as  they  were  trying  to 
"coon  it"  across  Knob  creek  on  a  log.  The  boys 
were  in  pursuit  of  birds,  when  young  Lincoln  fell 
into  the  water,  and  his  vigilant  companion,  who 
still  survives  to  narrate  the  thrilling  story,  fished 
him  out  with  a  sycamore  branch. 

Meanwhile  Thomas  Lincoln  was  becoming  daily 
more  dissatisfied  with  his  situation  and  surround 
ings.  He  had  purchased,  since  his  marriage,  on  the 
easy  terms  then  prevalent,  two  farms  or  tracts  of 
land  in  succession;  but  none  was  easy  enough  for 
him,  and  the  land,  wrhen  the  time  for  the  payment  of 
the  purchase-money  rolled  around,  reverted  to  its 
former  owner.  Kentucky,  at  that  day,  afforded 
few  if  any  privileges,  and  possessed  fewer  advan 
tages  to  allure  the  poor  man;  and  no  doubt  so  it 
seemed  to  Thomas  Lincoln.  The  land  he  occupied 
was  sterile  and  broken.  A  mere  barren  glade,  and 
destitute  of  timber,  it  required  a  persistent  effort  to 
coax  a  living  out  of  it;  and  to  one  of  his  easy-going 
disposition,  life  there  was  a  never-ending  struggle. 
Stories  of  vast  stretches  of  rich  and  unoccupied 
lands  in  Indiana  reaching  his  ears,  and  despairing  of 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  19 

the  prospect  of  any  betterment  in  his  condition  so 
long  as  he  remained  in  Kentucky,  he  resolved,  at 
last,  to  leave  the  State  and  seek  a  more  inviting 
lodgment  beyond  the  Ohio.  The  assertion  made 
by  some  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  biographers,  and  so  often 
repeated  by  sentimental  writers,  that  his  father  left 
Kentucky  to  avoid  the  sight  of  or  contact  with 
slavery,  lacks  confirmation.  In  all  Hardin  county 
— at  that  time  a  large  area  of  territory — there 
were  not  over  fifty  slaves;  and  it  is  doubtful  if  he 
saw  enough  of  slavery  to  fill  him  with  the  righteous 
opposition  to  the  institution  with  which  he  has  so 
frequently  been  credited.  Moreover,  he  never  in 
later  years  manifested  any  especial  aversion  to 
it. 

Having  determined  on  emigrating  to  Indiana,  he 
began  preparations  for  removal  in  the  fall  of  1816 
by  building  for  his  use  a  flat-boat.  Loading  it  with 
his  tools  and  other  personal  effects,  including  in  the 
invoice,  as  we  are  told,  four  hundred  gallons  of 
whiskey,  he  launched  his  "crazy  craft"  on  a  tribu 
tary  of  Salt  creek  known  as  the  Rolling  Fork. 
Along  with  the  current  he  floated  down  to  the  Ohio 
river,  but  his  rudely-made  vessel,  either  from  the 
want  of  experience  in  its  navigator,  or  because  of 
its  ill  adaptation  to  withstand  the  force  and  caprices 
of  the  currents  in  the  great  river,  capsized  one  day, 
and  boat  and  cargo  went  to  the  bottom.  The  luck 
less  boatman  set  to  work  however,  and  by  dint  of 
great  patience  and  labor  succeeded  in  recovering 
the  tools  and  the  bulk  of  the  whiskey.  Righting 
his  boat,  he  continued  down  the  river,  landing  at  a 


20  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

point  called  Thompson's  Ferry,  in  Perry  county,  on 
the  Indiana  side.  Here  he  disposed  of  his  vessel, 
and  placing  his  goods  in  the  care  of  a  settler  named 
Posey,  he  struck  out  through  the  interior  in  search 
of  a  location  for  his  new  home.  Sixteen  miles  back 
from  the  river  he  found  one  that  pleased  his  fancy, 
and  he  marked  it  off  for  himself.  His  next  move  in 
the  order  of  business  was  a  journey  to  Vincennes  to 
purchase  the  tract  at  the  Land  Office — under  the 
"two-dollar-an-acre  law,"  as  Dennis  Hanks  puts  it 
— and  a  return  to  the  land  to  identify  it  by  blazing 
the  trees  and  piling  up  brush  on  the  corners  to 
establish  the  proper  boundary  lines.  Having  se 
cured  a  place  for  his  home  he  trudged  back  to  Ken 
tucky — walking  all  the  way — for  his  family.  Two 
horses  brought  them  and  all  their  household  effects 
to  the  Indiana  shore.  Posey  kindly  gave  or  hired 
them  the  use  of  a  wagon,  into  which  they  packed 
not  only  their  furniture  and  carpenter  tools,  but  the 
liquor,  which  it  is  presumed  had  lain  undisturbed  in 
the  former's  cellar.  Slowly  and  carefully  picking 
their  way  through  the  dense  woods,  they  at  last 
reached  their  destination  on  the  banks  of  Little 
Pigeon  creek.  There  were  some  detentions  on  the 
way,  but  no  serious  mishaps. 

The  head  of  the  household  now  set  resolutely  to 
work  to  build  a  shelter  for  his  family. 

The  structure,  when  completed,  was  fourteen  feet 
square,  and  was  built  of  small  unhewn  logs.  In  the 
language  of  the  day,  it  was  called  a  "half-faced 
camp,"  being  enclosed  on  all  sides  but  one.  It  had 
neither  floor,  door,  nor  windows.  In  this  forbidding 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  21 

hovel  these  doughty  emigrants  braved  the  exposure 
of  the  varying  seasons  for  an  entire  year.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  Thomas  and  Betsy  Sparrow  fol 
lowed,  bringing  with  them  Dennis  Hanks;  and  to 
them  Thomas  Lincoln  surrendered  the  "half-faced 
camp,"  while  he  moved  into  a  more  pretentious 
structure — a  cabin  enclosed  on  all  sides.  The  coun 
try  was  thickly  covered  with  forests  of  walnut, 
beech,  oak,  elm,  maple,  and  an  undergrowth  of 
dog-wood,  sumac,  and  wild  grape-vine.  In  places 
where  the  growth  was  not  so  thick  grass  came  up 
abundantly,  and  hogs  found  plenty  of  food  in  the 
unlimited  quantity  of  mast  the  woods  afforded. 
The  country  abounded  in  bear,  deer,  turkey,  and 
other  wild  game,  which  not  only  satisfied  the 
pioneer's  love  for  sport,  but  furnished  his  table  with 
its  supply  of  meat. 

Thomas  Lincoln,  with  the  aid  of  the  Hankses  and 
Sparrows,  was  for  a  time  an  attentive  farmer.  The 
implements  of  agriculture  then  in  use  were  as  rude 
as  they  were  rare,  and  yet  there  is  nothing  to  show 
that  in  spite  of  the  slow  methods  then  in  vogue  he 
did  not  make  commendable  speed.  "We  raised 
corn  mostly" — relates  Dennis — "and  some  wheat — 
enough  for  a  cake  Sunday  morning.  Hog  and  veni 
son  hams  were  a  legal  tender,  and  coon  skins  also. 
We  raised  sheep  and  cattle,  but  they  did  not  bring 
much.  Cows  and  calves  were  only  worth  six  to 
eight  dollars;  corn  ten  cents,  and  wheat  twenty-five 
cents,  a  bushel."  So  with  all  his  application  and 
frugality  the  head  of  this  ill-assorted  household 


22  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

made  but  little  headway  in  the  accumulation  of  the 
world's  goods.  We  are  told  that  he  was  indeed  a 
poor  man,  and  that  during  his  entire  stay  in  Indi 
ana  his  land  barely  yielded  him  sufficient  return  to 
keep  his  larder  supplied  with  the  most  common 
necessities  of  life.  His  skill  as  a  hunter — though 
never  brought  into  play  unless  at  the  angered  de 
mand  of  a  stomach  hungry  for  meat — in  no  slight 
degree  made  up  for  the  lack  of  good  management 
in  the  cultivation  of  his  land.  His  son  Abraham* 
never  evinced  the  same  fondness  for  hunting, 
although  his  cousin  Dennis  with  much  pride  tells 
us  how  he  could  kill  a  wild  turkey  on  the  wing. 
"At  that  time,"  relates  one  of  the  latter's  play- 
mates,f  descanting  on  the  abundance  of  wild  game, 
"there  were  a  great  many  deer-licks;  and  Abe  and 
myself  would  go  to  these  licks  sometimes  and  watch 
of  nights  to  kill  deer,  though  Abe  was  not  so  fond 
of  a  gun  or  the  sport  as  I  was."$ 


*  "Abe  was  a  good  boy — an  affectionate  one — a  boy  who 
loved  his  parents  well  and  was  obedient  to  their  every  wish. 
Although  anything  but  an  impudent  or  rude  boy  he  was  some 
times  uncomfortably  inquisitive.  When  strangers  would 
ride  along  or  pass  by  his  father's  fence  he  always — either 
through  boyish  pride  or  to  tease  his  father — would  be  sure  to 
ask  the  first  question.  His  father  would  sometimes  knock 
him  over.  When  thus  punished  he  never  bellowed,  but  dropped 
a  kind  of  silent,  unwelcome  tear  as  evidence  of  his  sensitive 
ness  or  other  feelings." — Dennis  Hanks,  MS.,  June  13,  1865. 

$  David   Turnham,   MS.   letter,   June   10,   1866. 

t  Mr.  Lincoln  used  to  relate  the  following  "coon"  story :  His 
father  had  at  home  a  little  yellow  house-dog,  which  invariably 
gave  the  alarm  if  the  boys  undertook  to  slip  away  unobserved 
after  night  had  set  in — as  they  oftentimes  did — to  go  coon 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  23 

The  cabin  to  which  the  Lincoln  family  removed 
after  leaving  the  little  half-faced  camp  to  the  Spar 
rows  was  in  some  respects  a  pretentious  structure.  It 
was  of  hewed  logs,  and  was  eighteen  feet  square.  It 
was  high  enough  to  admit  of  a  loft,  where  Abe  slept, 
and  to  which  he  ascended  each  night  by  means  of 
pegs  driven  in  the  wall.  The  rude  furniture  was 
in  keeping  with  the  surroundings.  Three-legged 
stools  answered  for  chairs.  The  bedstead,  made  of 
poles  fastened  in  the  cracks  of  the  logs  on  one  side, 
and  supported  by  a  crotched  stick  driven  in  the 
ground  floor  on  the  other,  was  covered  with  skins, 
leaves,  and  old  clothes.  A  table  of  the  same  finish 
as  the  stools,  a  few  pewter  dishes,  a  Dutch  oven, 
and  a  skillet  completed  the  household  outfit.  In 
this  uninviting  frontier  structure  the  future  Pres 
ident  was  destined  to  pass  the  greater  part  of  his 
boyhood.  Withal  his  spirits  were  light,  and  it  can- 


hunting.  One  evening  Abe  and  his  step-brother,  John  Johnston, 
with  the  usual  complement  of  boys  required  in  a  successful  coon 
hunt,  took  the  insignificant  little  cur  with  them.  They  located 
the  coveted  coon,  killed  him,  and  then  in  a  sportive  vein  sewed 
the  hide  on  the  diminutive  yellow  dog.  The  latter  struggled 
vigorously  during  the  operation  of  sewing  on,  and  being  re 
leased  from  the  hands  of  his  captors  made  a  bee-line  for  home. 
Other  large  and  more  important  canines,  on  the  way,  scenting 
coon,  tracked  the  little  animal  home,  and  possibly  mistaking 
him  for  real  coon,  speedily  demolished  him.  The  next  morn 
ing  old  Thomas  Lincoln  discovered  lying  in  his  yard  the  life 
less  remains  of  yellow  "Joe,"  with  strong  proof  of  coon-skin 
accompaniment.  "Father  was  much  incensed  at  his  death,"  ob 
served  Mr.  Lincoln,  in  relating  the  story,  but  as  John  and  I, 
scantily  protected  from  the  morning  wind,  stood  shivering  in 
the  doorway,  we  felt  assured  little  yellow  Joe  would  never  be 
able  again  to  sound  the  call  for  another  coon  hunt." 


24  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

not  be  denied  that  he  must  have  enjoyed  unre 
strained  pleasure  in  his  surroundings.  It  is  related 
that  one  day  the  only  thing  that  graced  the  dinner- 
table  was  a  dish  of  roasted  potatoes.  The  elder 
Lincoln,  true  to  the  custom  of  the  day,  returned 
thanks  for  the  blessing.  The  boy,  realizing  the 
scant  proportions  of  the  meal,  looked  up  into  his 
father's  face  and  irreverently  observed,  "Dad,  I  call 
these" — meaning  the  potatoes — "mighty  poor  bless 
ings."  Among  other  children  of  a  similar  age  he 
seemed  unconsciously  to  take  the  lead,  and  it  is  no 
stretch  of  the  truth  to  say  that  they,  in  turn,  looked 
up  to  him.  He  may  have  been  a  little  precocious — 
children  sometimes  are — but  in  view  of  the  summary 
treatment  received  at  the  hands  of  his  father  it 
cannot  truthfully  be  said  he  was  a  "spoiled  child." 
One  morning  when  his  mother  was  at  work  he  ran 
into  the  cabin  from  the  outside  to  enquire,  with  a 
quizzical  grin,  "Who  was  the  father  of  Zebedee's 
children?"  As  many  another  mother  before  and 
since  has  done,  she  brushed  the  mischievous  young 
inquirer  aside  to  attend  to  some  more  important 
detail  of  household  concern.* 

The  dull  routine  of  chores  and  household  errands 
in  the  boy's  every-day  life  was  brightened  now  and 
then  by  a  visit  to  the  mill.  I  often  in  later  years 
heard  Mr.  Lincoln  say  that  going  to  mill  gave  him 
the  greatest  pleasure  of  his  boyhood  days. 

"We  had  to  go  seven  miles  to  mill,"  relates 
David  Turnham,  the  friend  of  his  youth,  "and  then 

*  Harriet  Chapman,   MS.  letter. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  25 

it  was  a  hand-mill  that  would  only  grind  from  fif 
teen  to  twenty  bushels  of  corn  in  a  day.  There 
was  but  little  wheat  grown  at  that  time,  and  when 
we  did  have  wheat  we  had  to  grind  it  in  the  mill 
described  and  use  it  without  bolting,  as  there  were 
no  bolts  in  the  country.  Abe  and  I  had  to  do  the 
milling,  frequently  going  twice  to  get  one  grist." 

In  his  eleventh  year  he  began  that  marvellous  and 
rapid  growth  in  stature  for  which  he  was  so  widely 
noted  in  the  Pigeon  creek  settlement.  "As  he 
shot  up,"  says  Turnham,  "he  seemed  to  change  in 
appearance  and  action.  Although  quick-witted  and 
ready  with  an  answer,  he  began  to  exhibit  deep 
thoughtfulness,  and  was  so  often  lost  in  studied 
reflection  we  could  not  help  noticing  the  strange 
turn  in  his  actions.  He  disclosed  rare  timidity  and 
sensitiveness,  especially  in  the  presence  of  men  and 
women,  and  although  cheerful  enough  in  the  pres 
ence  of  the  boys,  he  did  not  appear  to  seek  our 
company  as  earnestly  as  before."*  It  was  only  the 
development  we  find  in  the  history  of  every  boy. 
Nature  was  a  little  abrupt  in  the  case  of  Abraham 
Lincoln ;  she  tossed  him  from  the  nimbleness  of 
boyhood  to  the  gravity  of  manhood  in  a  single 
night. 

In  the  fall  of  1818,  the  scantily  settled  region  in 
the  vicinity  of  Pigeon  creek — where  the  Lincolns 
were  then  living— suffered  a  visitation  of  that  dread 
disease  common  in  the  West  in  early  days,  and 
known  in  the  vernacular  of  the  frontier  as  "the 


*  D.    Turnham,    MS.    letter. 


26  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

milk-sick."  It  hovered  like  a  spectre  over  the  Pig 
eon  creek  settlement  for  over  ten  years,  and  its 
fatal  visitation  and  inroads  among  the  Lincolns, 
Hankses,  and  Sparrows  finally  drove  that  contin 
gent  into  Illinois.  To  this  day  the  medical  profes 
sion  has  never  agreed  upon  any  definite  cause  for 
the  malady,  nor  have  they  in  all  their  scientific 
wrangling  determined  exactly  what  the  disease  it 
self  is.  A  physician,  who  has  in  his  practice  met  a 
number  of  cases,  describes  the  symptoms  to  be  "a 
whitish  coat  on  the  tongue,  burning  sensation  of 
the  stomach,  severe  vomiting,  obstinate  constipa 
tion  of  the  bowels,  coolness  of  the  extremities, 
great  restlessness  and  jactitation,  pulse  rather  small, 
somewhat  more  frequent  than  natural,  and  slightly 
chorded.  In  the  course  of  the  disease  the  coat  on 
the  tongue  becomes  brownish  and  dark,  the  counte 
nance  dejected,  and  the  prostration  of  the  patient  is 
great.  A  fatal  termination  may  take  place  in  sixty 
hours,  or  life  may  be  prolonged  for  a  period  of  four 
teen  days.  These  are  the  symptoms  of  the  disease 
in  an  acute  form.  Sometimes  it  runs  into  the 
chronic  form,  or  it  may  assume  that  form  from  the 
commencement,  and  after  months  or  years  the 
patient  may  finally  die  or  recover  only  a  partial 
degree  of  health." 

When  the  disease  broke  out  in  the  Pigeon  creek 
region  it  not  only  took  off  the  people,  but  it  made 
sad  havoc  among  the  cattle.  One  man  testifies 
that  he  "lost  four  milch  cows  and  eleven  calves  in 
one  week."  This,  in  addition  to  the  risk  of  losing 
his  own  life,  was  enough,  he  declared,  to  ruin  him, 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  27 

and  prompted   him    to    leave    for    "points    further 
west." 

Early  in  October  of  the  year  1818,  Thomas  and 
Betsy  Sparrow  fell  ill  of  the  disease  and  died  with 
in  a  few  days  of  each  other.  Thomas  Lincoln  per 
formed  the  services  of  undertaker.  With  his  whip- 
saw  he  cut  out  the  lumber,  and  with  commendable 
promptness  he  nailed  together  the  rude  coffins  to 
enclose  the  forms  of  the  dead.  The  bodies  were 
borne  to  a  scantily  cleared  knoll  in  the  midst  of  the 
forest,  and  there,  without  ceremony,  quietly  let 
down  into  the  grave.  Meanwhile  Abe's  mother 
had  also  fallen  a  victim  to  the  insidious  disease. 
Her  sufferings,  however,  were  destined  to  be  of 
brief  duration.  Within  a  week  she  too  rested  from 
her  labors.  "She  struggled  on,  day  by  day,"  says 
one  of  the  household,  "a  good  Christian  woman, 
and  died  on  the  seventh  day  after  she  was  taken 
sick.  Abe  and  his  sister  Sarah  waited  on  their 
mother,  and  did  the  little  jobs  and  errands  required 
of  them.  There  was  no  physician  nearer  than 
thirty-five  miles.  The  mother  knew  she  was  going 
to  die,  and  called  the  children  to  her  bedside.  She 
was  very  weak,  and  the  children  leaned  over  while 
she  gave  her  last  message.  Placing  her  feeble  hand 
on  little  Abe's  head  she  told  him  to  be  kind  and 
good  to  his  father  and  sister;  to  both  she  said,  'Be 
good  to  one  another,'  expressing  a  hope  that  they 
might  live,  as  they  had  been  taught  by  her,  to  love 
their  kindred  and  worship  God."  Amid  the  misera 
ble  surroundings  of  a  home  in  the  widerness  Nancy 
Hanks  passed  across  the  dark  river.  Though  of 


28  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

lowly  birth,  the  victim  of  poverty  and  hard  usage, 
she  takes  a  place  in  history  as  the  mother  of  a  son 
who  liberated  a  race  of  men.  At  her  side  stands 
another  Mother  whose  son  performed  a  similar  ser 
vice  for  all  mankind  eighteen  hundred  years  before. 

After  the  death  of  their  mother  little  Abe  and 
his  sister  Sarah  began  a  dreary  life — indeed,  one 
more  cheerless  and  less  inviting  seldom  falls  to  the 
lot  of  any  child.  In  a  log-cabin  without  a  floor, 
scantily  protected  from  the  severities  of  the 
weather,  deprived  of  the  comfort  of  a  mother's  love, 
they  passed  through  a  winter  the  most  dismal  either 
one  ever  experienced.  Within  a  few  months,  and 
before  the  close  of  the  winter,  David  Elkin,  an 
itinerant  preacher  whom  Mrs.  Lincoln  had  known 
in  Kentucky,  happened  into  the  settlement,  and  in 
response  to  the  invitation  from  the  family  and 
friends,  delivered  a  funeral  sermon  over  her  grave. 
No  one  is  able  now  to  remember  the  language  of 
Parson  Elkin's  discourse,  but  it  is  recalled  that  he 
commemorated  the  virtues  and  good  phases  of 
character,  and  passed  in  silence  the  few  short 
comings  and  frailties  of  the  poor  woman  sleeping 
under  the  winter's  snow.  She  had  done  her  work 
in  this  world.  Stoop-shouldered,  thin-breasted,  sad, 
— at  times  miserable, — groping  through  the  per 
plexities  of  life,  without  prospect  of  any  betterment 
in  her  condition,  she  passed  from  earth,  little 
dreaming  of  the  grand  future  that  lay  in  store  for 
the  ragged,  hapless  little  boy  who  stood  at  her  bed 
side  in  the  last  days  of  her  life. 

Thomas  Lincoln's  widowerhood    was    brief.      He 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  29 

had  scarcely  mourned  the  death  of  his  first  wife  a 
year  until  he  reappeared  in  Kentucky  at  Elizabeth- 
town  in  search  of  another.  His  admiration  had 
centered  for  a  second  time  on  Sally  Bush,  the 
widow  of  Daniel  Johnston,  the  jailer  of  Hardin 
county,  who  had  died  several  years  before  of  a 
disease  known  as  the  "cold  plague."  The  tradition 
still  kept  alive  in  the  Kentucky  neighborhood  is 
that  Lincoln  had  been  a  suitor  for  the  hand  of  the 
lady  before  his  marriage  to  Nancy  Hanks,  but  that 
she  had  rejected  him  for  the  hand  of  the  more  fortu 
nate,  Johnston.  However  that  may  have  been,  it  is 
certain  that  he  began  his  campaign  in  earnest  this 
time,  and  after  a  brief  siege  won  her  heart.  "He 
made  a  very  short  courtship,"  wrote  Samuel  Hay- 
craft*  to  me  in  a  letter,  December  7,  1866.  "He 
came  to  see  her  on  the  first  day  of  December,  1819, 
and  in  a  straightforward  manner  told  her  that  they 
had  known  each  other  from  childhood.  'Miss  John 
son,'  said  he,  'I  have  no  wife  and  you  no  husband. 
I  came  a-purpose  to  'marry  you.  I  knowed  you 
from  a  gal  and  you  knowed  me  from  a  boy.  I've 
no  time  to  lose;  and  if  you're  willin'  let  it  be  done 
straight  off.'  She  replied  that  she  could  not  marry 
him  right  off,  as  she  had  some  little  debts  which  she 
wanted  to  pay  first.  He  replied,  'Give  me  a  list  of 
them.'  He  got  the  list  and  paid  them  that  even 
ing.  Next  morning  I  issued  the  license,  and  they 
were  married  within  sixty  yards  of  my  house." 

Lincoln's    brother-in-law,    Ralph    Krume,    and    his 

*  Clerk  of  the  Court. 


30  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

four  horses  and  spacious  wagon  were  again  brought 
into  requisition.  With  commendable  generosity 
he  transported  the  newly  married  pair  and  their 
household  effects  to  their  home  in  Indiana.  The 
new  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  accompanied  by  her  three 
children,  John,  Sarah,  and  Matilda.  Her  social 
status  is  fixed  by  the  comparison  of  a  neighbor,  who 
observed  that  "life  among  the  Hankses,  the  Lin- 
coins,  and  the  Enslows  was  a  long  ways  below  life 
among  the  Bushes." 

In  the  eyes  of  her  spouse  she  could  not  be  re 
garded  as  a  poor  widow.  She  was  the  owner  of  a 
goodly  stock  of  furniture  and  household  goods; 
bringing  with  her  among  other  things  a  walnut 
bureau  valued  at  fifty  dollars.  What  effect  the  new 
family,  their  collection  of  furniture,  cooking  uten 
sils,  and  comfortable  bedding  must  have  had  on  the 
astonished  and  motherless  pair  who  from  the  door 
of  Thomas  Lincoln's  forlorn  cabin  watched  the  well- 
filled  wagon  as  it  came  creaking  through  the  woods 
car,  better  be  imagined  than  described.  Surely 
Sarah  and  Abe,  as  the  stores  of  supplies  were  rolled 
in  through  the  doorless  doorways,  must  have  be 
lieved  that  a  golden  future  awaited  them.  The 
presence  and  smile  of  a  motherly  face  in  the  cheer 
less  cabin  radiated  sunshine  into  every  neglected 
corner.  If  the  Lincoln  mansion  did  not  in  every 
respect  correspond  to  the  representations  made  by 
its  owner  to  the  new  Mrs.  Lincoln  before  marriage, 
the  latter  gave  no  expression  of  disappointment  or 
even  surprise.  With  true  womanly  courage  and 
zeal  she  set  resolutely  to  work  to  make  right  that 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  31 

which  seemed  wrong.  Her  husband  was  made  to 
put  a  floor  in  the  cabin,  as  well  as  to  supply  doors 
and  windows.  The  cracks  between  the  logs  were 
plastered  up.  A  clothes-press  rilled  the  space 
between  the  chimney  jamb  and  the  wall,  and  the 
mat  of  corn  husks  and  leaves  on  which  the  children 
had  slept  in  the  corner  gave  way  to  the  comfortable 
luxuriance  of  a  feather  bed.  She  washed  the  two 
orphans,  and  fitted  them  out  in  clothes  taken  from 
the  stores  of  her  own.  The  work  of  renovation  in 
and  around  the  cabin  continued  until  even  Thomas 
Lincoln  himself,  under  the  general  stimulus  of  the 
new  wife's  presence,  caught  the  inspiration,  and 
developed  signs  of  intense  activity.  The  advent  of 
Sarah  Bush  was  certainly  a  red-letter  day  for  the 
Lincolns.  She  was  not  only  industrious  and  thrifty, 
but  gentle  and  affectionate;  and  her  newly  adopted 
children  for  the  first  time,  perhaps,  realized  the  be 
nign  influence  of  a  mother's  love.  Of  young  Abe 
she  was  especially  fond,  and  we  have  her  testimony 
that  her  kindness  and  care  for  him  were  warmly  and 
bountifully  returned.  Her  granddaughter  furnished 
me*  in  after  years  with  this  description  of  her: 

"My  grandmother  is  a  very  tall  woman,  straight 
as  an  Indian,  of  fair  complexion,  and  was,  when  I 
first  remember  her,  very  handsome,  sprightly,  talk 
ative,  and  proud.  She  wore  her  haid  curled  till  gray ; 
is  kind-hearted  and  very  charitable,  and  also  very 
industrious."  In  September,  1865,  I  visited  the  old 

*  Harriet  Chapman. 


32  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

lady*  and  spent  an  entire  day  with  her.  She  was 
then  living  on  the  farm  her  stepson  had  purchased 
and  given  her,  eight  miles  south  of  the  town  of 
Charleston,  in  Illinois.  She  died  on  the  10th  of 
April,  1869. 

The  two  sets  of  children  in  the  Lincoln  house 
hold — to  their  credit  be  it  said — lived  together  in 
perfect  accord.  Abe  was  in  his  tenth  year,  and  his 
stepmother,  awake  to  the  importance  of  an  educa 
tion,  made  a  way  for  him  to  attend  school.  To  her 
he  seemed  full  of  promise;  and  although  not  so 
quick  of  comprehension  as  other  boys,  yet  she 
believed  in  encouraging  his  every  effort.  He  had 
had  a  few  weeks  of  schooling  under  Riney  and 
Hazel  in  Kentucky,  but  it  is  hardly  probable  that 
he  could  read;  he  certainly  could  not  write.  As 
illustrating  his  moral  make-up,  I  diverge  from  the 
chronological  order  of  the  narrative  long  enough  to 
relate  an  incident  which  occurred  some  years  later. 
In  the  Lincoln  family,  Matilda  Johnston,  or  Tilda, 


*  During  my  interview  with  this  old  lady  I  was  much  and 
deeply  impressed  with  the  sincerity  of  her  aftection  for  her 
illustrious  stepson.  She  declined  to  say  much  in  answer  to  my 
questions  about  Nancy  Hanks,  her  predecessor  in  the  Lincoln 
household,  but  spoke  feelingly  of  the  latter's  daughter  and 
son.  Describing  Mr.  Lincoln's  last  visit  to  her  in  February, 
1861,  she  broke  into  tears  and  wept  bitterly.  "I  did  not  want 
Abe  to  run  for  President,"  she  sobbed,  "and  did  not  want  to 
see  him  elected.  I  was  afraid  that  something  would  happen 
to  him,  and  when  he  came  down  to  see  me,  after  he  was 
elected  President,  I  still  felt,  and  my  heart  told  me,  that  some 
thing  would  befall  Abe,  and  that  I  should  never  see  him  again. 
Abe  and  his  father  are  in  heaven  now,  I  am  sure,  and  I  ex 
pect  soon  to  go  there  and  meet  them." 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  33 

as  her  mother  called  her,  was  the  youngest  child. 
After  Abe  had  reached  the  estate  of  manhood,  she 
was  still  in  her  'teens.  It  was  Abe's  habit  each 
morning  one  fall,  to  leave  the  house  early,  his  axe 
on  his  shoulder,  to  clear  a  piece  of  forest  which  lay 
some  distance  from  home.  He  frequently  carried 
his  dinner  with  him,  and  remained  all  day.  Several 
times  the  young  and  frolicsome  'Tilda  sought  to 
accompany  him,  but  was  each  time  restrained  by 
her  mother,  who  firmly  forbade  a  repetition  of  the 
attempt.  One  morning  the  girl  escaped  maternal 
vigilance,  and  slyly  followed  after  the  young  wood 
man,  who  had  gone  some  distance  from  the  house, 
and  was  already  hidden  from  view  behind  the  dense 
growth  of  trees  and  underbrush.  Following  a  deer- 
path,  he  went  singing  along,  little  dreaming  of  the 
girl  in  close  pursuit.  The  latter  gained  on  him, 
and  when  within  a  few  feet,  darted  forward  and 
with  a  cat-like  leap  landed  squarely  on  his  back. 
With  one  hand  on  each  shoulder,  she  planted  her 
knee  in  the  middle  of  his  back,  and  dexterously 
brought  the  powerful  frame  of  the  rail-splitter  to 
the  ground.  It  was  a  trick  familiar  to  every 
schoolboy.  Abe,  taken  by  surprise,  was  unable  at 
first  to  turn  around  or  learn  who  his  assailant  was. 
In  the  fall  to  the  ground,  the  sharp  edge  of  the  axe 
imbedded  itself  in  the  young  lady's  ankle,  inflicting 
a  wound  from  which  there  came  a  generous  effu 
sion  of  blood.  With  sundry  pieces  of  cloth 
torn  from  Abe's  shirt  and  the  young  lady's 
dress,  the  flow  of  blood  was  stanched,  and  the 
wound  rudely  bound  up.  The  girl's  cries  having 


34  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

lessened  somewhat,  her  tall  companion,  looking  at 
her  in  blank  astonishment,  knowing  what  an  in 
fraction  the  whole  thing  was  of  her  mother's  oft- 
repeated  instructions,  asked ;  "  'Tilda,  what  are 
you  going  to  tell  mother  about  getting  hurt?" 

'Tell  her  I  did  it  with  the  axe,"  she  sobbed. 
"That  will  be  the  truth,  won't  it?"  To  which  last 
inquiry  Abe  manfully  responded, 

"Yes,  that's  the  truth,  but  it's  not  all  the  truth. 
Tell  the  whole  truth,  'Tilda,  and  trust  your  good 
mother  for  the  rest." 

This  incident  was,  many  years  afterward,  related 
to  me  by  'Tilda,  who  was  then  the  mother  of  a 
devoted  and  interesting  family  herself. 

Hazel  Dorsey  was  Abe's  first  teacher  in  Indiana. 
He  held  forth  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  Lincoln 
farm.  The  school-house  was  built  of  round  logs, 
and  was  just  high  enough  for  a  man  to  stand  erect 
under  the  loft.  The  floor  was  of  split  logs,  or 
what  were  called  puncheons.  The  chimney  was 
made  of  poles  and  clay;  and  the  windows  were 
made  by  cutting  out  parts  of  two  logs,  placing 
pieces  of  split  boards  a  proper  distance  apart,  and 
over  the  aperture  thus  formed  pasting  pieces 
of  greased  paper  to  admit  light.  At  school  Abe 
evinced  ability  enough  to  gain  him  a  prominent 
place  in  the  respect  of  the  teacher  and  the  affec 
tions  of  his  fellow-scholars.*  Elements  of  leader- 


*  "He  always  appeared  to  be  very  quiet  during  playtime ; 
never  was  rude;  seemed  to  have  a  liking  for  solitude;  was  the 
one  chosen  in  almost  every  case  to  adjust  difficulties  between 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  35 

ship  in  him  seem  to  have  manifested  themselves 
already.  Nathaniel  Grigsby — whose  brother,  Aaron, 
afterwards  married  Abe's  sister,  Sarah — attended 
the  same  school.  He  certifies  to  Abe's  proficiency 
and  worth  in  glowing  terms. 

"He  was  always  at  school  early,"  writes  Grigsby, 
"and  attended  to  his  studies.  He  was  always  at 
the  head  of  his  class,  and  passed  us  rapidly  in  his 
studies.  He  lost  no  time  at  home,  and  when  he 
was  not  at  work  was  at  his  books.  He  kept  up  his 
studies  on  Sunday,  and  carried  his  books  with  him 
to  work,  so  that  he  might  read  when  he  rested  from 
labor."  Now  and  then,  the  family  exchequer  run 
ning  low,  it  would  be  found  necessary  for  the 
young  rail-splitter  to  stop  school,  and  either  work 
with  his  father  on  the  farm,  or  render  like  service 
for  the  neighbors.  These  periods  of  work  occurred 
so  often  and  continued  so  long,  that  all  his  school 
days  added  together  would  not  make  a  year  in  the 
aggregate.  When  he  attended  school,  his  sister 
Sarah  usually  accompanied  him.  "Sally  was  a 
quick-minded  young  woman,"  is  the  testimony  of  a 
school-mate.  "She  was  more  industrious  than  Abe, 
in  my  opinion.  I  can  hear  her  good-humored 
laugh  now.  Like  her  brother,  she  could  greet  you 
kindly  and  put  you  at  ease.  She  was  really  an 
intelligent  woman."* 


boys  of  his  age  and  size,  and  when  appealed  to,  his  decision 
was  an  end  of  the  trouble.  He  was  also  rather  noted  for 
keeping  his  clothes  clean  longer  than  any  of  the  others,  and 
although  considered  a  boy  of  courage,  had  few,  if  any,  diffi 
culties." — E.  R.  Burba,  letter,  March  31,  1866. 
*  Nat  Grigsby,  Sept.  12,  1865,  MS. 


36  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

Abe's  love  for  books,  and  his  determined  effort  to 
obtain  an  education  in  spite  of  so  many  obstacles, 
induced  the  belief  in  his  father's  mind,  that  book- 
learning  was  absorbing  a  greater  proportion  of  his 
energy  and  industry  than  the  demands  of  the  farm. 
The  old  gentleman  had  but  little  faith  in  the  value 
of  books  or  papers,*  and  hence  the  frequent  drafts 
he  made  on  the  son  to  aid  in  the  drudgery  of  daily 
toil.  He  undertook  to  teach  him  his  own  tradef — 
he  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner — but  Abe  manifested 
such  a  striking  want  of  interest  that  the  effort  to 
make  a  carpenter  of  him  was  soon  abandoned. 

At  Dorsey's  school  Abe  was  ten  years  old;  at 
the  next  one,  Andrew  Crawford's  he  was  about 
fourteen;  and  at  Swaney's  he  was  in  his  seven 
teenth  year.  The  last  school  required  a  walk  of 
over  four  miles,  and  on  account  of  the  distance 
his  attendance  was  not  only  irregular  but  brief. 
Schoolmaster  Crawford  introduced  a  new  feature 
in  his  school,  and  we  can  imagine  its  effect  on 
his  pupils,  whose  training  had  been  limited  to  the 


*  "I  induced  my  husband  to  permit  Abe  to  read  and  study  at 
home  as  well  as  at  school.  At  first  he  was  not  easily  recon 
ciled  to  it,  but  finally  he  too  seemed  willing  to  encourage  him 
to  a  certain  extent.  Abe  was  a  dutiful  son  to  me  always,  and 
we  took  particular  care  when  he  was  reading  not  to  disturb  him 
— would  let  him  read  on  and  on  till  he  quit  of  his  own  ac 
cord." — Mrs.  Thomas  Lincoln,  Sept.  8,  1865. 

t  A  little  walnut  cabinet,  two  feet  high,  and  containing  two 
rows  of  neat  drawers,  now  in  the  possession  of  Captain  J.  W. 
Wartmann,  clerk  of  the  United  States  Court  in  Evansville,  Ind., 
is  carefully  preserved  as  a  specimen  of  the  joint  work  of  Lin 
coln  and  his  father  at  this  time. — J.  W.  W. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  37 

social  requirements  of  the  backwoods  settlement. 
It  was  instruction  in  manners.  One  scholar  was 
required  to  go  outside,  and  re-enter  the  room  as  a 
lady  or  gentleman  would  enter  a  drawing-room  or 
parlor.  Another  scholar  would  receive  the  first 
party  at  the  door,  and  escort  him  or  her  about  the 
room,  making  polite  introductions  to  each  person  in 
the  room.  How  the  gaunt  and  clumsy  Abe  went 
through  this  performance  we  shall  probably  never 
know.  If  his  awkward  movements  gave  rise  to  any 
amusement,  his  school-mates  never  revealed  it. 

The  books  used  at  school  were  Webster's  Spell 
ing  Book  and  the  American  Speller.  All  the 
scholars  learned  to  cipher,  and  afterwards  used 
Pike's  Arithmetic.  Mr.  Lincoln  told  me  in  later 
years  that  Murray's  English  Reader  was  the  best 
school-book  ever  put  into  the  hands  of  an  Amer 
ican  youth.  I  conclude,  therefore,  he  must  have 
used  that  also.  At  Crawford's  school  Abe  was 
credited  with  the  authorship  of  several  literary 
.efforts — short  dissertations  in  which  he  strove  to 
correct  some  time-honored  and  wanton  sport  of  the 
schoolboy.  While  in  Indiana  I  met  several  persons 
who  recalled  a  commendable  and  somewhat  preten 
tious  protest  he  wrote  against  cruelty  to  animals. 
The  wholesome  effects  of  a  temperate  life  and  the 
horrors  of  war  were  also  subjects  which  claimed  the 
services  of  his  pen  then,  as  they  in  later  years 
demanded  the  devoted  attention  of  his  mind  and 
heart. 

He  was  now  over  six  feet  high  and  was  growing 
at  a  tremendous  rate,  for  he  added  two  inches  more 


38  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

before  the  close  of  his  seventeenth  year,  thus  reach 
ing  the  limit  of  his  stature.  He  weighed  in  the 
region  of  a  hundred  and  sixty  pounds;  was  wiry, 
vigorous,  and  strong.  His  feet  and  hands  were 
large,  arms  and  legs  long  and  in  striking  contrast 
with  his  slender  trunk  and  small  head.  "His  skin 
was  shrivelled  and  yellow,"  declares  one  of  the 
girls*  who  attended  Crawford's  school.  "His 
shoes,  when  he  had  any,  were  low.  He  wore  buck 
skin  breeches,  linsey-woolsey  shirt,  and  a  cap  made 
of  the  skin  of  a  squirrel  or  coon.  His  breeches 
were  baggy  and  lacked  by  several  inches  meeting 
the  tops  of  his  shoes,  thereby  exposing  his  shin- 
bone,  "sharp,  blue,  and  narrow."  In  one  branch  of 
school  learning  he  was  a  great  success;  that  was 
spelling.  We  are  indebted  to  Kate  Roby,  a  pretty 
miss  of  fifteen,  for  an  incident  which  illustrates 
alike  his  proficiency  in  orthography  and  his  natural 
inclination  to  help  another  out  of  the  mire.  The 
word  "defied"  had  been  given  out  by  Schoolmaster 
Crawford,  but  had  been  misspelled  several  times 
when  it  came  Miss  Roby's  turn.  "Abe  stood  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  room"  (related  Miss  Robyf 
to  me  in  1865)  "and  was  watching  me.  -I  began 
d-e-f — and  then  I  stopped,  hesitating  whether  to 
proceed  with  an  T  or  a  *y*.  Looking  up  I  beheld 
Abe,  a  grin  covering  his  face,  and  pointing  with  his 
index  finger  to  his  eye.  I  took  the  hint,  spelled 
the  word  with  an  'i,'  and  it  went  through  all  right." 


•  Kate    Gentry. 

t  Miss   Roby   afterward   married   Allen   Gentry. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  39 

There  was  more  or  less  of  an  attachment  between 
Miss  Roby  and  Abe,  although  the  lady  took  pains 
to  assure  me  that  they  were  never  in  love.  She 
described  with  self-evident  pleasure,  however,  the 
delightful  experience  of  an  evening's  stroll  down  to 
the  river  with  him,  where  they  were  wont  to  sit  on 
the  bank  and  watch  the  moon  as  it  slowly  rose  over 
the  neighboring  hills.  Dangling  their  youthful  feet 
in  the  water,  they  gazed  on  the  pale  orb  of  night,  as 
many  a  fond  pair  before  them  had  done  and  will 
continue  to  do  until  the  end  of  the  world.  One 
evening,  when  thus  engaged,  their  conversation  and 
thoughts  turned  on  the  movement  of  the  planets. 
"I  did  not  suppose  that  Abe,  who  had  seen  so  little 
of  the  world,  would  know  anything  about  it,  but  he 
proved  to  my  satisfaction  that  the  moon  did  not  go 
down  at  all ;  that  it  only  seemed  to ;  that  the  earth, 
revolving  from  west  to  east,  carried  us  under,  as  it 
were.  'We  do  the  sinking,'  he  explained;  'while 
to  us  the  moon  is  comparatively  still.  The  moon's 
sinking  is  only  an  illusion.'  I  at  once  dubbed  him 
a  fool,  but  later  developments  convinced  me  that  I 
was  the  fool,  not  he.  He  was  well  acquainted  with 
the  general  laws  of  astronomy  and  the  movements 
of  the  heavenly  bodies,  but  where  he  could  have 
learned  so  much,  or  how  to  put  it  so  plainly,  I  never 
could  understand." 

Absalom  Roby  is  authority  for  the  statement 
that  even  at  that  early  day  Abe  was  a  patient 
reader  of  a  Louisville  newspaper,  which  some  one 
at  Gentryville  kindly  furnished  him.  Among  the 
books  he  read  were  the  Bible,  "yEsop's  Fables," 


40  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

"Robinson  Crusoe,"  Bunyan's  "Pilgrim's  Progress," 
a  "History  of  the  United  States,"  and  Weems' 
"Life  of  Washington."  A  little  circumstance  at 
tended  the  reading  of  the  last-named  book,  which 
only  within  recent  years  found  its  way  into  public 
print.  The  book  was  borrowed  from  a  close-fisted 
neighbor,  Josiah  Crawford,  and  one  night,  while 
lying  on  a  little  shelf  near  a  crack  between  two  logs 
in  the  Lincoln  cabin  during  a  storm,  the  covers 
were  damaged  by  rain.  Crawford — not  the  school 
master,  but  old  Blue  Nose,  as  Abe  and  others  called 
him — assessed  the  damage  to  his  book  at  seventy- 
five  cents,  and  the  unfortunate  borrower  was  re 
quired  to  pull  fodder  for  three  days  at  twenty-five 
cents  a  day  in  settlement  of  the  account.  While  at 
school  it  is  doubtful  if  he  was  able  to  own  an  arith 
metic.  His  stepmother  was  unable  to  remember 
his  ever  having  owned  one.  She  gave  me,  how 
ever,  a  few  leaves  from  a  book  made  and  bound  by 
Abe,  in  which  he  had  entered,  in  a  large,  bold  hand, 
the  tables  of  weights  and  measures,  and  the  "sums" 
to  be  worked  out  in  illustration  of  each  table. 
Where  the  arithmetic  was  obtained  I  could  not 
learn.  On  one  of  the  pages  which  the  old  lady 
gave  me,  and  just  underneath  the  table  which  tells 
how  many  pints  there  are  in  a  bushel,  the  facetious 
young  student  had  scrawled  these  four  lines  of 
schoolboy  doggerel: 


"Abraham   Lincoln, 

His  hand   and  pen, 
He   will  be   good. 

But    God   knows   when.' 


THE  LIFb  OF  LINCOLN.  41 

On  another  page  were  found,  in  his  own  hand,  a  few 
lines  which  it  is  also  said  he  composed.  Nothing 
indicates  that  they  were  borrowed,  and  I  have 
always,  therefore,  believed  that  they  were  original 
with  him.  Although  a  little  irregular  in  metre,  the 
sentiment  would,  I  think,  do  credit  to  an  older 
head. 


"Time,  what  an  empty  vapor  'tis, 

And  days  how  swift  they  are: 
Swift  as  an  Indian  arrow — 

Fly  on  like  a  shooting  star. 
The  present  moment  just  is  here, 

Then  slides  away  in  haste, 
That  we  can  never  say  they're  ours, 

But  only  say  they're  past." 


His  penmanship,  after  some  practice,  became  so  re 
gular  in  form  that  it  excited  the  admiration  of  other 
and  younger  boys.  One  of  the  latter  Joseph  C. 
Richardson,  said  that  "Abe  Lincoln  was  the  best 
penman  in  the  neighborhood."  At  Richardson's 
request  he  made  some  copies  for  practice.  During 
my  visit  to  Indiana  I  met  Richardson,  who  showed 
these  two  lines,  which  Abe  had  prepared  for  him: 

"Good  boys  who  to  their  books  apply 
Will  all  be  great  men  by  and  by." 

To  comprehend  Mr.  Lincoln  fully  we  must  know 
in  substance  not  only  the  facts  of  his  origin,  but 
also  the  manner  of  his  development.  It  will 
always  be  a  matter  of  wonder  to  the  American 
people,  I  have  no  doubt — as  it  has  been  to  me — 
that  from  such  restricted  and  unpromising  opportu- 


42  THE  LItE  OF  LINCOLN. 

nities  in  early  life,  Mr.  Lincoln  grew  into  the  great 
man  he  was.  The  foundation  for  his  education  was 
laid  in  Indiana  and  in  the  little  town  of  New  Salem 
in  Illinois,  and  in  both  places  he  gave  evidence  of  a 
nature  and  characteristics  that  distinguished  him 
from  every  associate  and  surrounding  he  had.  He 
was  not  peculiar  or  eccentric,  and  yet  a  shrewd 
observer  would  have  seen  that  he  was  decidedly 
unique  and  original.  Although  imbued  with  a 
marked  dislike  for  manual  labor,  it  cannot  be  truth 
fully  said  of  him  that  he  was  indolent.  From  a 
mental  standpoint  he  was  one  of  the  most  ener 
getic  young  men  of  his  day.  He  dwelt  altogether 
in  the  land  of  thought.  His  deep  meditation  and 
abstraction  easily  induced  the  belief  among  his 
horny-handed  companions  that  he  was  lazy.  In 
fact,  a  neighbor,  John  Romine,  makes  that  charge. 
"He  worked  for  me,"  testifies  the  latter,  "but  was 
always  reading  and  thinking.  I  used  to  get  mad  at 
him  for  it.  I  say  he  was  awful  lazy.  He  would 
laugh  and  talk — crack  his  jokes  and  tell  stories  all 
the  time;  didn't  love  work  half  as  much  as  his  pay. 
He  said  to  me  one  day  that  his  father  taught  him 
to  work ;  but  he  never  taught  him  to  love  it."  Ver 
ily  there  was  but  one  Abraham  Lincoln ! 

His  chief  delight  during  the  day,  if  unmolested, 
was  to  lie  down  under  the  shade  of  some  inviting 
tree  to  read  and  study.  At  night,  lying  on  his 
stomach  in  front  of  the  open  fireplace,  with  a  piece 
of  charcoal  he  would  cipher  on  a  broad,  wooden 
shovel.  When  the  latter  was  covered  over  on  both 
sides  he  would  take  his  father's  drawing  knife  or 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  43 

plane  and  shave  it  off  clean,  ready  for  a  fresh  supply 
of  inscriptions  the  next  day.  He  often  moved  about 
the  cabin  with  a  piece  of  chalk,  writing  and  cipher 
ing  on  boards  and  the  flat  sides  of  hewn  logs.  When 
every  bare  wooden  surface  had  been  filled  with  his 
letters  and  ciphers  he  would  erase  them  and  begin 
anew.  Thus  it  was  always;  and  the  boy  whom 
dull  old  Thomas  Lincoln  and  rustic  John  Romine 
conceived  to  be  lazy  was  in  reality  the  most  tireless 
worker  in  all  the  region  around  Gentryville.  His  step 
mother  told  me  he  devoured  everything  in  the  book 
line  within  his  reach.  If  in  his  reading  he  came 
across  anything  that  pleased  his  fancy,  he  entered 
it  down  in  a  copy-book — a  sort  of  repository,  in  which 
he  was  wont  to  store  everything  worthy  of  preserva 
tion.  "Frequently,"  related  his  stepmother,  "he 
had  no  paper  to  write  his  pieces  down  on.  Then  he 
would  put  them  with  chalk  on  a  board  or  plank, 
sometimes  only  making  a  few  signs  of  what  he 
intended  to  write.  When  he  got  paper  he  would 
copy  them,  always  bringing  them  to  me  and  reading 
them.  He  would  ask  my  opinion  of  what  he  had 
read,  and  often  explained  things  to  me  in  his  plain 
and  simple  language."  How  he  contrived  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  to  absorb  information  is  thus  told 
by  John  Hanks :  "When  Abe  and  I  returned  to 
the  house  from  work  he  would  go  to  the  cupboard, 
snatch  a  piece  of  corn  bread,  sit  down,  take  a  book, 
cock  his  legs  up  as  high  as  his  head,  and  read.  We 
grubbed,  plowed,  mowed,  and  worked  together  bare 
footed  in  the  field.  Whenever  Abe  had  a  chance 
in  the  field  while  at  work,  or  at  the  house,  he 


44  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

would  stop  and  read."  He  kept  the  Bible  and 
"/Esop's  Fables"  always  within  reach,  and  read  them 
over  and  over  again.  These  two  volumes  furnished 
him  with  the  many  figures  of  speech  and  parables 
which  he  used  with  such  happy  effect  in  his  later 
and  public  utterances. 

Amid  such  restricted  and  unromantic  environ 
ments  the  boy  developed  into  the  man.  The  intel 
lectual  fire  burned  slowly,  but  with  a  steady  and 
intense  glow.  Although  denied  the  requisite  train 
ing  of  the  school-room,  he  was  none  the  less  com 
petent  to  cope  with  those  who  had  undergone  that 
discipline.  No  one  had  a  more  retentive  memory. 
If  he  read  or  heard  a  good  thing  it  never  escaped 
him.  His  powers  of  concentration  were  intense, 
and  in  the  ability  through  analysis  to  strip  bare  a 
proposition  he  was  unexcelled.  His  thoughtful  and 
investigating  mind  dug  down  after  ideas,  and  never 
stopped  till  bottom  facts  were  reached.  With  such 
a  mental  equipment  the  day  was  destined  to  come 
when  the  world  would  need  the  services  of  his  intel 
lect  and  heart.  That  he  was  equal  to  the  great 
task  when  the  demand  came  is  but  another  striking 
proof  of  the  grandeur  of  his  character. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  first  law  book  Lincoln  ever  read  was  "The 
Statutes  of  Indiana."  He  obtained  the  volume  from 
his  friend  David  Turnham,  who  testifies  that  he 
fairly  devoured  the  book  in  his  eager  efforts  to 
abstract  the  store  of  knowledge  that  lay  between  the 
lids.  No  doubt,  as  Turnham  insists,  the  study  of 
the  statutes  at  this  early  day  led  Abe  to  think  of 
the  law  as  his  calling  in  maturer  years.  At  any  rate 
he  now  began  to  evince  no  little  zeal  in  the  matter 
of  public  speaking — in  compliance  with  the  old 
notion,  no  doubt,  that  a  lawyer  can  never  succeed 
unless  he  has  the  elements  of  the  orator  or  advocate 
in  his  construction — and  even  when  at  work  in  the 
field  he  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  mount 
the  nearest  stump  and  practise  on  his  fellow  labor 
ers.  The  latter  would  flock  around  him,  and  active 
operations  would  cease  whenever  he  began.  A 
cluster  of  tall  and  stately  trees  often  made  him  a 
most  dignified  and  appreciative  audience  during  the 
delivery  of  these  maiden  forensic  efforts.  He  was 
old  enough  to  attend  musters,  log-rollings,  and  horse 
races,  and  was  rapidly  becoming  a  favored  as  well  as 
favorite  character.  "The  first  time  I  ever  remem 
ber  of  seeing  Abe  Lincoln,"  is  the  testimony  of  one 

45 


46  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

of  his  neighbors,*  "was  when  I  was  a  small  boy  and 
had  gone  with  my  father  to  attend  some  kind  of  an 
election.  One  of  our  neighbors,  James  Larkins,  was 
there.  Larkins  was  a  great  hand  to  brag  on  any 
thing  he  owned.  This  time  it  was  his  horse.  He 
stepped  up  before  Abe,  who  was  in  the  crowd,  and 
commenced  talking  to  him,  boasting  all  the  while 
of  his  animal. 

"  'I  have  got  the  best  horse  in  the  country' "  he 
shouted  to  his  young  listener.  "  'I  ran  him  three 
miles  in  exactly  nine  minutes,  and  he  never  fetched 
a  long  breath/  " 

"  'I  presume,'  said  Abe,  rather  dryly,  .'he  fetched 
a  good  many  short  ones  though.'  " 

With  all  his  peaceful  propensities  Abe  was  not 
averse  to  a  contest  of  strength,  either  for  sport  or  in 
settlement — as  in  one  memorable  case — of  griev 
ances.  Personal  encounters  were  of  frequent  occur 
rence  in  Gentryville  in  those  days,  and  the  prestige 
of  having  thrashed  an  opponent  gave  the  victor 
marked  social  distinction.  Green  B.  Taylor,  with 
whom  Abe  worked  the  greater  part  of  one  winter 
on  a  farm,  furnished  me  with  an  account  of  the 
noted  fight  between  John  Johnston,  Abe's  step 
brother,  and  William  Grtgsby,  in  which  stirring 
drama  Abe  himself  played  an  important  role  before 
the  curtain  was  rung  down.  Taylor's  father  was  the 
second  for  Johnston,  and  William  Whitten  officiated 
in  a  similar  capacity  for  Grigsby.  "They  had  a  ter 
rible  fight,"  relates  Taylor,  "and  it  soon  became 


*  John  W.  Lamar,  MS.  letter,  June  29,  1866. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  47 

apparent  that  Grigsby  was  too  much  for  Lincoln's 
man,  Johnston.  After  they  had  fought  a  long  time 
without  interference,  it  having  been  agreed  not  to 
break  the  ring,  Abe  burst  through,  caught  Grigsby, 
threw  him  off  and  some  feet  away.  There  he  stood, 
proud  as  Lucifer,  and  swinging  a  bottle  of  liquor 
over  his  head  swore  he  was  'the  big  buck  of  the 
lick/  'If  any  one  doubts  it,'  he  shouted,  'he  has 
only  to  come  on  and  whet  his  horns.'  "  A  general 
engagement  followed  this  challenge,  but  at  the  end 
of  hostilities  the  field  was  cleared  and  the  wounded 
retired  amid  the  exultant  shouts  of  their  victors. 

Much  of  the  latter  end  of  Abe's  boyhood  would 
have  been  lost  in  the  midst  of  tradition  but  for  the 
store  of  information  and  recollections  I  was  fortu 
nate  enough  to  secure  from  an  interesting  old  lady 
whom  I  met  in  Indiana  in  1865.  She  was  the  wife  of 
Josiah  Crawford* — "Blue  Nose,"  as  Abe  had  named 
him — and  possessed  rare  accomplishments  for  a 
woman  reared  in  the  backwoods  of  Indiana.  She 
was  not  only  impressed  with  Abe's  early  efforts,  but 
expressed  great  admiration  for  his  sister  Sarah, 
whom  she  often  had  with  her  at  her  own  hospitable 
home  and  whom  she  described  as  a  modest,  indus- 


*  In  one  of  her  conversations  with  me  Mrs.  Crawford  told  me 
of  the  exhibitions  with  which  at  school  they  often  entertained 
the  few  persons  who  attended  the  closing  day.  Sometimes,  In 
warm  weather,  the  scholars  made  a  platform  of  clean  boards  cov 
ered  overhead  with  green  boughs.  Generally,  however,  these 
exhibitions  took  place  in  the  school-room.  The  exercises  con 
sisted  of  the  varieties  offered  at  this  day  at  the  average  seminary 
or  school — declamations  and  dialogues  or  debates.  The  declama 
tions  were  obtained  principally  from  a  book  called  "The  Ken- 


48  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

trious,  and  sensible  sister  of  a  humorous  and  equally 
sensible  brother.  From  Mrs.  Crawford  I  obtained 
the  few  specimens  of  Abe's  early  literary  efforts 
and  much  of  the  matter  that  follows  in  this  chapter. 
The  introduction  here  of  the  literary  feature  as 
affording  us  a  glimpse  of  Lincoln's  boyhood  days 
may  to  a  certain  extent  grate  harshly  on  over-re 
fined  ears ;  but  still  no  apology  is  necessary,  for,  as 
intimated  at  the  outset,  I  intend  to  keep  close  to 
Lincoln  all  the  way  through.  Some  writers  would 
probably  omit  these  songs  and  backwoods  recitals 
as  savoring  too  strongly  of  the  Bacchanalian  nature, 
but  that  would  be  a  narrow  view  to  take  of  history. 
If  we  expect  to  know  Lincoln  thoroughly  we  must 
be  prepared  to  take  him  as  he  really  was. 

In  1826  Abe's  sister  Sarah  was  married  to  Aaron 
Grigsby,  and  at  the  wedding  the  Lincoln  family 
sang  a  song  composed  in  honor  of  the  event  by 
Abe  himself.  It  is  a  tiresome  doggerel  and  full 
of  painful  rhymes.  I  reproduce  it  here  from  the 
manuscript  furnished  me  by  Mrs.  Crawford.  The 
author  and  composer  called  it  "Adam  and  Eve's 
Wedding  Song." 


tucky  Preceptor,"  which  volume  Mrs.  Crawford  gave  me  as  a 
souvenir  of  my  visit.  Lincoln  had  often  used  it  himself,  she 
said.  The  questions  for  discussion  were  characteristic  of  the 
day  and  age.  The  relative  merits  of  the  "Bee  and  the  Ant," 
the  difference  in  strength  between  "Wind  and  Water,"  taxed 
their  knowledge  of  physical  phenomena ;  and  the  all-important 
question  "Which  has  the  most  right  to  complain,  the  Indian  or 
the  Negro?"  called  out  their  conceptions  of  a  great  moral  or 
national  wrong.  In  the  discussion  of  all  these  grave  subjects 
Lincoln  took  a  deep  interest. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  49 

"When  Adam  was  created 

He  dwelt  in  Eden's  shade, 
As  Moses  has  recorded, 

And  soon  a  bride  was  made. 

Ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand 
Of  creatures  swarmed  around 

Before   a   bride  was   formed, 
And  yet  no  mate  was  found. 

The  Lord  then  was  not  willing 

That  man   should  be  alone, 
But  caused  a  sleep  upon  him, 

And  from  him  took  a  bone. 

And   closed   the   flesh   instead   thereof, 

And  then  he  took  the  same 
And  of  it  made  a  woman, 

And  brought  her  to  the  man. 

Then  Adam  he  rejoiced 

To  see  his  loving  bride 
A  part  of  his  own  body, 

The  product  of  his  side. 

The  woman  was   not  taken 

From   Adam's   feet   we   see, 
So  he  must  not  abuse  her, 

The  meaning  seems  to  be. 

The   woman  was   not  taken 
From  Adam's  head,  we  know, 

To  show  she  must  not  rule  him — 
'Tis  evidently  so. 

The    woman    she    was    taken 

From   under  Adam's    arm, 
So  she  must  be  protected 

From  injuries  and  harm." 

Poor  Sarah,  at  whose  wedding  this  song  was  sung, 
never  lived  to   see  the  glory  nor   share  in  the  honor 


50  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

that  afterwards  fell  to  the  lot  of  her  tall  and  angu 
lar  brother.  Within  two  years  after  her  marriage, 
she  died  in  childbirth.  Something  in  the  conduct 
of  the  Grigsbys  and  their  treatment  of  his  sister 
gave  Abe  great  offense,  and  for  a  long  time  the  rela 
tions  between  him  and  them  were  much  strained. 
The  Grigsbys  were  the  leading  family  in  Gentryville, 
and  consequently  were  of  no  little  importance  in  a 
social  way.  Abe,  on  the  contrary,  had  no  reserve  of 
family  or  social  influence  to  draw  upon.  He  was 
only  awaiting  an  opportunity  to  "even  up"  the 
score  between  them.  Neither  his  father  nor  any  of 
the  Hankses  were  of  any  avail,  and  he  therefore  for 
the  first  time  resorted  to  the  use  of  his  pen  for  re 
venge.  He  wrote  a  number  of  pieces  in  which 
he  took  occasion  to  lampoon  those  who  provoked  in 
any  way  his  especial  displeasure.  It  was  quite  nat 
ural  to  conceive  therefore  that  with  the  gift  of  satire 
at  command  he  should  not  have  permitted  the 
Grigsbys  to  escape.  These  pieces  were  called 
"Chronicles,"  and  although  rude  and  coarse,  they 
served  the  purpose  designed  by  their  author  of 
bringing  public  ridicule  down  on  the  heads  of  his 
victims.  They  were  written  in  an  attempted 
scriptural  vein,  and  on  so  many  different  subjects 
that  one  might  consistently  call  them  "social  venti 
lators."  Their  grossness  must  have  been  warmly 
appreciated  by  the  early  denizens  of  Gentryville,  for 
the  descendants  of  the  latter  up  to  this  day  have 
taken  care  that  they  should  not  be  buried  from  sight 
under  the  dust  of  long-continued  forgetfulness.  I  re 
produce  here,  exactly  as  I  obtained  it,  the  particular 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  51 

chapter  of  the  "Chronicles"  which  reflected  on  the 
Grigsbys  so  severely,  and  which  must  serve  as  a 
sample  of  all  the  others.* 

Reuben  and  Charles  Grigsby  on  the  same  day 
marriedf  Betsy  Ray  and  Matilda  Hawkins  respec 
tively.  The  day  following  they  with  their  brides 
returned  to  the  Grigsby  mansion,  where  the  father, 
Reuben  Grigsby,  senior,  gave  them  a  cordial  wel 
come.  Here  an  old-fashioned  infare,  with  feasting 
and  dancing,  and  the  still  older  fashion  of  putting  the 
bridal  party  to  bed,  took  place.  When  the  invita 
tions  to  these  festivities  were  issued  Abe  was  left 
out,  and  the  slight  led  him  to  furnish  an  apprecia 
tive  circle  in  Gentryville  with  what  he  was  pleased 
to  term  "The  First  Chronicles  of  Reuben. "$ 


t  The  original  chapter  in  Lincoln's  handwriting  came  to  light 
in  a  singular  manner  after  having  been  hidden  or  lost  for  years. 
Shortly  before  my  trip  to  Indiana  in  1865  a  carpenter  in  Gen 
tryville  was  rebuilding  a  house  belonging  to  one  of  the  Grigs 
bys.  While  so  engaged  his  son  and  assistant  had  climbed 
through  the  ceiling  to  the  inner  side  of  the  roof  to  tear  away 
some  of  the  timbers,  and  there  found,  tucked  away  under  the 
end  of  a  rafter,  a  bundle  of  yellow  and  dust-covered  papers. 
Carefully  withdrawing  them  from  their  hiding-place  he  opened 
and  was  slowly  deciphering  them,  when  his  father,  struck  by 
the  boy's  silence,  and  hearing  no  evidence  of  work,  enquired 
of  him  what  he  was  doing.  "Reading  a  portion  of  the  Scrip 
tures  that  hav'n't  been  revealed  yet,"  was  the  response.  He 
had  found  the  "Chronicles  of  Reuben." 

*  April  16,  1829.     Records  Spencer  Co.,  Indiana. 

$  Lincoln  had  shrewdly  persuaded  some  one  who  was  on  the 
inside  at  the  infare  to  slip  upstairs  while  the  feasting  was  at 
its  height  and  change  the  beds,  which  Mamma  Grigsby  had 
carefully  arranged  in  advance.  The  transposition  of  beds  pro 
duced  a  comedy  of  errors  which  gave  Lincoln  as  much  satis 
faction  and  joy  as  the  Grigsby  household  embarrassment  and 
chagrin. 


52  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

"Now  there  was  a  man,"  begins  this  memorable 
chapter  of  backwoods  lore,  "whose  name  was 
Reuben,  and  the  same  was  very  great  in  substance; 
in  horses  and  cattle  and  swine,  and  a  very  great 
household.  It  came  to  pass  when  the  sons  of 
Reuben  grew  up  that  they  were  desirous  of  taking 
to  themselves  wives,  and  being  too  well  known  as  to 
honor  in  their  own  country  they  took  a  journey  into 
a  far  country  and  there  procured  for  themselves 
wives.  It  came  to  pass  also  that  when  they  were 
about  to  make  the  return  home  they  sent  a  messen 
ger  before  them  to  bear  the  tidings  to  their  parents. 
These,  enquiring  of  the  messengers  what  time  their 
sons  and  wives  would  come,  made  a  great  feast  and 
called  all  their  kinsmen  and  neighbors  in  and  made 
great  preparations.  When  the  time  drew  nigh  they 
sent  out  two  men  to  meet  the  grooms  and  their 
brides  with  a  trumpet  to  welcome  them  and  to 
accompany  them.  When  they  came  near  unto 
the  house  of  Reuben  the  father,  the  messenger 
came  on  before  them  and  gave  a  shout,  and  the 
whole  multitude  ran  out  with  shouts  of  joy  and 
music,  playing  on  all  kinds  of  instruments.  Some 
were  playing  on  harps,  some  on  viols,  and  some 
blowing  on  rams'  horns.  Some  also  were  casting 
dust  and  ashes  towards  heaven,  and  chief  among 
them  all  was  Josiah,  blowing  his  bugle  and  mak 
ing  sound  so  great  the  neighboring  hills  and  valleys 
echoed  with  the  resounding  acclamation.  When 
they  had  played  and  their  harps  had  sounded  till 
the  grooms  and  brides  approached  the  gates,  Reu- 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  53 

ben  the  father  met  them  and  welcomed  them  to 
his  house.  The  wedding  feast  being  now  ready 
they  were  all  invited  to  sit  down  to  eat,  placing 
the  bridegrooms  and  their  wives  at  each  end  of  the 
table.  Waiters  were  then  appointed  to  serve  and 
wait  on  the  guests.  When  all  had  eaten  and  were 
full  and  merry  they  went  out  again  and  played  and 
sung  till  night,  and  when  they  had  made  an  end  of 
feasting  and  rejoicing  the  multitude  dispersed,  each 
going  to  his  own  home.  The  family  then  took 
seats  with  their  waiters  to  converse  while  prepara 
tions  were  being  made  in  an  upper  chamber  for  the 
brides  and  grooms  to  be  conveyed  to  their  beds. 
This  being  done  the  waiters  took  the  two  brides  up 
stairs,  placing  one  in  a  bed  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
stairs  and  the  other  on  the  left.  The  waiters  came 
down,  and  Nancy  the  mother  then  gave  directions  to 
the  waiters  of  the  bridegrooms,  and  they  took  them 
upstairs  but  placed  them  in  the  wrong  beds.  The 
waiters  then  all  came  downstairs.  But  the  mother, 
being  fearful  of  a  mistake,  made  enquiry  of  the 
waiters,  and  learning  the  true  facts  took  the  light  and 
sprang  upstairs.  It  came  to  pass  she  ran  to  one 
of  the  beds  and  exclaimed,  'O  Lord,  Reuben,  you 
are  in  bed  with  the  wrong  wife/  The  young  men, 
both  alarmed  at  this,  sprang  up  out  of  bed  and  ran 
with  such  violence  against  each  other  they  came 
near  knocking  each  other  down.  The  tumult  gave 
evidence  to  those  below  that  the  mistake  was 
certain.  At  last  they  all  came  down  and  had  a 
long  conversation  about  who  made  the  mistake, 


54  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

but  it  could  not  be  decided.     So  endeth  the  chap 
ter."* 

As  the  reader  will  naturally  conclude,  the  revela 
tion  of  this  additional  chapter  of  the  Scriptures 
stirred  up  the  social  lions  of  Gentryville  to  the  right 
ing  point.  Nothing  but  the  blood  of  the  author, 
who  was  endeavoring  to  escape  public  attention 
under  the  anonymous  cloak,  would  satisfy  the  ven 
geance  of  the  Grigsbys  and  their  friends.  But  while 
the  latter  were  discussing  the  details  of  discovery 
and  punishment,  the  versatile  young  satirist  was  at 
work  finishing  up  William,  the  remaining  member  of 
the  Grigsby  family,  who  had  so  far  escaped  the  sting 
of  his  pen.  The  lines  of  rhyme  in  which  William's 
weaknesses  are  handed  down  to  posterity,  Mrs. 
Crawford  had  often  afterwards  heard  Abe  recite, 
but  she  was  very  reluctant  from  a  feeling  of  mod 
esty  to  furnish  them  to  me.  At  last,  through  the 
influence  of  her  son,  I  overcame  her  scruples  and 
obtained  the  coveted  verses.  A  glance  at  them  will 
convince. the  reader  that  the  people  of  a  community 
who  could  tolerate  these  lines  would  certainly  not 
be  surprised  or  offended  at  anything  that  might  be 
found  in  the  "Chronicles." 


*  The  reader  will  readily  discern  that  the  waiters  had  been 
carefully  drilled  by  Lincoln  in  advance  for  the  parts  they  were 
to  perform  in  this  rather  unique  piece  of  backwoods  comedy. 
He  also  improved  the  rare  opportunity  which  presented  itself 
of  caricaturing  "Blue  Nose"  Crawford,  who  had  exacted  of 
him  such  an  extreme  penalty  for  the  damage  done  to  his 
"Weems'  Life  of  Washington."  He  is  easily  identified  as 
"Josiah  blowing  his  bugle."  The  latter  was  also  the  husband 
of  my  informant,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Crawford. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  55 

"I  will  tell  you  a  joke  about  Joel  and  Mary, 
It  is  neither  a  joke  nor  a  story, 
For  Reuben  and  Charles  have  married  two  girls, 
But  Billy  has  married  a  boy. 
The  girls  he  had  tried  on  every  side, 
But   none   could   he   get   to   agree ; 
All  was  in  vain,  he  went  home  again, 
And  since  that  he's  married  to  Natty. 

So  Billy  and  Natty  agreed  very  well, 

And  mamma's  well  pleased  with  the  match. 

The  egg  it  is  laid,  but  Natty's  afraid 

The  shell  is  so  soft  it  never  will  hatch, 

But  Betsy,  she  said,  'You  cursed  bald  head, 

My   suitor  you  never  can  be, 

Besides  your  ill  shape  proclaims  you  an  ape, 

And  that  never  can  answer  for  me." 


That  these  burlesques  and  the  publicity  they 
attained  aroused  all  the  ire  in  the  Grigsby  family, 
and  eventually  made  Abe  the  object  on  which 
their  fury  was  spent  is  not  surprising  in  the  least. 
It  has  even  been  contended,  and  with  some  show  of 
truth  too,  that  the  fight  between  John  Johnston 
and  William  Grigsby  was  the  outgrowth  of  these 
caricatures,  and  that  Abe  forebore  measuring 
strength  with  Grigsby,  who  was  considered  his  phys 
ical  inferior,  and  selected  Johnston  to  represent  him 
and  fight  in  his  stead.  These  crude  rhymes  and 
awkward  imitations  of  scriptural  lore  demonstrated 
that  their  author,  if  assailed,  was  merciless  in  satire. 
In  after  years  Lincoln,  when  driven  to  do  so,  used 
this  weapon  of  ridicule  with  telling  effect.  He 
knew  its  power,  and  on  one  occasion,  in  the  rejoinder 
of  a  debate,  drove  his  opponent  in  tears  from  the 
platform. 


56  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

Although  devoid  of  any  natural  ability  as  a  singer 
Abe  nevertheless  made  many  efforts  and  had  great 
appreciation  of  certain  songs.  In  after  years  he 
told  me  he  doubted  if  he  really  knew  what  the  har 
mony  of  sound  was.  The  songs  in  vogue  then  were 
principally  of  the  sacred  order.  They  were  from 
Watts'  and  Dupuy's  hymn-books.  David  Turnham 
furnished  me  with  a  list,  marking  as  especial  favor 
ites  the  following:  "Am  I  a  Soldier  of  the  Cross"; 
"How  Tedious  and  Tasteless  the  Hours";  "There 
is  a  Fountain  Filled  with  Blood,"  and,  "Alas,  and 
did  my  Saviour  Bleed?"  One  song  pleased  Abe 
not  a  little.  "I  used  to  sing  it  for  old  Thomas 
Lincoln,"  relates  Turnham,  "at  Abe's  request.  The 
old  gentleman  liked  it  and  made  me  sing  it  often. 
I  can  only  remember  one  couplet: 

"  'There  was  a  Romish  lady 

She   was   brought   up   in   Popery.'  " 

Dennis  Hanks  insists  that  Abe  used  to  try  his 
hand  and  voice  at  "Poor  old  Ned,"  but  never  with 
any  degree  of  success.  "Rich,  racy  verses"  were 
sung  by  the  big  boys  in  the  country  villages  of  that 
day  with  as  keen  a  relish  as  they  are  to-day.  There 
is  no  reason  and  less  evidence  for  the  belief  that 
Abe  did  not  partake  of  this  forbidden  fruit  along 
with  other  boys  of  the  same  age  and  condition  in 
life.  Among  what  Dennis  called  "field  songs"  are 
a  few  lines  from  this  one: 


"The  turbaned  Turk  that  scorns  the  world 
And  struts  about  with  his  whiskers  curled, 
For  no  other  man  but  himself  to  see." 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  57 

Of  another  ballad  we  have  this  couplet: 

"Hail   Columbia,  happy  land, 
If  you  aint  drunk  I  will  be  damned." 

We  can  imagine  the  merry  Dennis,  hilarious  with 
the  exhilaration  of  deep  potations  at  the  village 
grocery,  singing  this  "field  song"  as  he  and  Abe 
wended  their  way  homeward.  A  stanza  from  a 
campaign  song  which  Abe  was  in  the  habit  of  ren 
dering,  according  to  Mrs.  Crawford,  attests  his  ear 
liest  political  predilections: 

"Let  auld  acquaintance  be  forgot 

And  never  brought  to  mind, 
May  Jackson  be  our  president, 
And  Adams  left  behind." 

A  mournful  and  distressing  ballad,  "John  Ander 
son's  Lamentation,"  as  rendered  by  Abe,  was  writ 
ten  out  for  me  by  Mrs.  Crawford,  but  the  first  lines, 

"Oh,  sinners,  poor  sinners,  take  warning  by  me, 
The  fruits  of  transgression  behold  now  and  see," 

will  suffice  to  indicate  how  mournful  the  rest  of  it 
was. 

The  centre  of  wit  and  wisdom  in  the  village  of 
Gentryville  was  at  the  store.  This  place  was  in 
charge  of  one  Jones,  who  soon  after  embarking  in 
business  seemed  to  take  quite  a  fancy  to  Abe..  He 
took  the  only  newspaper — sent  from  Louisville — 
and  at  his  place  of  business  gathered  Abe,  Dennis 
Hanks,  Baldwin,  the  blacksmith,  and  other  kindred 
spirits  to  discuss  such  topics  as  are  the  exclusive 
property  of  the  store  lounger.  Abe's  original  and 


58  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

ridiculous  stories  not  only  amused  the  crowd,  but 
the  display  of  his  unique  faculties  made  him  many 
friends.  One  who  saw  him  at  this  time  says: 

"Lincoln  would  frequently  make  political 
speeches  to  the  boys;  he  was  always  calm,  logical, 
and  clear.  His  jokes  and  stories  were  so  odd,  orig 
inal,  and  witty  all  the  people  in  town  would  gather 
around  him.  He  would  keep  them  till  midnight. 
Abe  was  a  good  talker,  a  good  reasoner,  and  a  kind 
of  newsboy."  He  attended  all  the  trials  before  the 
"squire,"  as  that  important  functionary  was  called, 
•and  frequently  wandered  off  to  Boonville,  a  town  on 
the  river,  distant  fifteen  miles,  and  the  county  seat 
of  Warrick  County,  to  hear  and  see  how  the  courts 
were  conducted  there.  On  one  occasion,  at  the 
latter  place,  he  remained  during  the  trial  of  a  mur 
derer  and  attentively  absorbed  the  proceedings.  A 
lawyer  named  Breckenridge  represented  the  defense, 
and  his  speech  so  pleased  and  thrilled  his  young 
listener  that  the  latter  could  not  refrain  from  ap 
proaching  the  eloquent  advocate  at  the  close  of  his 
address  and  congratulating  him  on  his  signal  suc 
cess.  How  Breckenridge  accepted  the  felicitations 
of  the  awkward,  hapless  youth  we  shall  probably 
never  know.  The  story  is  told  that  during  Lin 
coln's  term  as  President,  he  was  favored  one  day  at 
the  White  House  with  a  visit  by  this  same  Brecken 
ridge,  then  a  resident  of  Texas,  who  had  called  to 
pay  his  respects.  In  a  conversation  about  early 
days  in  Indiana,  the  President,  recalling  Brecken- 
ridge's  argument  in  the  murder  trial,  remarked,  "If 
I  could,  as  I  then  thought,  have  made  as  good  a 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  59 

speech  as  that,  my  soul  would  have  been  satisfied; 
for  it  was  up  to  that  time  the  best  speech  I  had 
ever  heard. 

No  feature  of  his  backwoods  life  pleased  Abe  so 
well  as  going  to  mill.  It  released  him  from  a  day's 
work  in  the  woods,  besides  affording  him  a  much 
desired  opportunity  to  watch  the  movement  of  the 
mill's  primitive  and  cumbersome  machinery.  It 
was  on  many  of  these  trips  that  David  Turnham 
accompanied  him.  In  later  years  Mr.  Lincoln 
related  the  following  reminiscence  of  his  experience 
as  a  miller  in  Indiana:  One  day,  taking  a  bag  of 
corn,  he  mounted  the  old  flea-bitten  gray  mare  and 
rode  leisurely  to  Gordon's  mill.  Arriving  somewhat 
late,  his  turn  did  not  come  till  almost  sundown.  In 
obedience  to  the  custom  requiring  each  man  to 
furnish  his  own  power  he  hitched  the  old  mare  to 
the  arm,  and  as  the  animal  moved  round,  the 
machinery  responded  with  equal  speed.  Abe  was 
mounted  on  the  arm,  and  at  frequent  intervals  made 
use  of  his  whip  to  urge  the  animal  on  to  better 
speed.  With  a  careless  "Get  up,  you  old  hussy,"  he 
applied  the  lash  at  each  revolution  of  the  arm.  In 
the  midst  of  the  exclamation,  or  just  as  half  of  it 
had  escaped  through  his  teeth,  the  old  jade,  resent 
ing  the  continued  use  of  the  goad,  elevated  her 
shoeless  hoof  and  striking  the  young  engineer  in 
the  forehead,  sent  him  sprawling  to  the  earth. 
Miller  Gordon  hurried  in,  picked  up  the  bleeding, 
senseless  boy,  whom  he  took  for  dead,  and  at  once 
sent  for  his  father.  Old  Thomas  Lincoln  came — 
came  as  soon  as  embodied  listlessness  could  move — 


60  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

loaded  the  lifeless  boy  in  a  wagon  and  drove 
home.  Abe  lay  unconscious  all  night,  but  towards 
break  of  day  the  attendants  noticed  signs  of  return 
ing  consciousness.  The  blood  beginning  to  flow 
normally,  his  tongue  struggled  to  loosen  itself,  his 
frame  jerked  for  an  instant,  and  he  awoke,  blurting 
out  the  words  "you  old  hussy,"  or  the  latter  half  of 
the  sentence  interrupted  by  the  mare's  heel  at  the 
mill. 

Mr.  Lincoln  considered  this  one  of  the  remarka 
ble  incidents  of  his  life.  He  often  referred  to  it, 
and  we  had  many  discussions  in  our  law  office  over 
the  psychogical  phenomena  involved  in  the  opera 
tion.  Without  expressing  my  own  views  I  may  say 
that  his  idea  was  that  the  latter  half  of  the  expres 
sion,  "Get  up,  you  old  hussy,"  was  cut  off  by  a  sus 
pension  of  the  normal  flow  of  his  mental  energy, 
and  that  as  soon  as  life's  forces  returned  he  uncon 
sciously  ended  the  sentence;  or,  as  he  in  a  plainer 
figure  put  it:  "Just  before  I  struck  the  old  mare 
my  will  through  the  mind  had  set  the  muscles  of 
my  tongue  to  utter  the  expression,  and  when  her 
heels  came  in  contact  with  my  head  the  whole  thing 
stopped  half-cocked,  as  it  were,  and  was  only  fired 
off  when  mental  energy  or  force  returned." 

By  the  time  he  had  reached  his  seventeenth  year 
he  had  attained  the  physical  proportions  of  a  full- 
grown  man.  He  was  employed  to  assist  James 
Taylor  in  the  management  of  a  ferry-boat  across 
the  Ohio  river  near  the  mouth  of  Anderson's  creek, 
but  was  not  allowed  a  man's  wages  for  the  work. 
He  received  thirty-seven  cents  a  day  for  what  he 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  61 

afterwards  told  me  was  the  roughest  work  a  young 
man  could  be  made  to  do.  In  the  midst  of  what 
ever  work  he  was  engaged  on  he  still  found  time 
to  utilize  his  pen.  He  prepared  a  composition  on 
the  American  Government,  calling  attention  to 
the  necessity  of  preserving  the  Constitution  and 
perpetuating  the  Union,  which  with  characteristic 
modesty  he  turned  over  to  his  friend  and  patron, 
William  Woods,  for  safe-keeping  and  perusal. 
Through  the  instrumentality  of  Woods  it  attracted 
the  attention  of  many  persons,  among  them  one 
Pitcher,*  a  lawyer  at  Rockport,  who  with  faintly 
concealed  enthusiasm  declared  "the  world  couldn't 
beat  it."  An  article  on  Temperance  was  shown 
under  similar  circumstance  to  Aaron  Farmer,  a 
Baptist  preacher  of  local  renown,  and  by  him  fur 
nished  to  an  Ohio  newspaper  for  publication.  The 
thing,  however,  which  gave  him  such  prominence — 
a  prominence  too  which  could  have  been  attained  in 
no  other  way — was  his  remarkable  physical  strength, 
for  he  was  becoming  not  only  one  of  the  longest, 


*  This  gentleman,  Judge  John  Pitcher,  ninety-three  years  old, 
is  still  living  in  Mount  Vernon,  Indiana.  He  says  that  young 
Lincoln  often  called  at  his  office  and  borrowed  books  to  read  at 
home  during  leisure  hours.  On  one  occasion  he  expressed  a  de 
sire  to  study  law  with  Pitcher,  but  explained  that  his  parents 
were  so  poor  that  he  could  not  be  spared  from  the  farm  on  which 
they  lived.  "He  related  to  me  in  my  office  one  day,"  says  Pit 
cher,  "an  account  of  his  payment  to  Crawford  of  the  damage 
done  to  the  latter's  book — Weems'  'Life  of  Washington.'  Lin 
coln  said,  "You  see,  I  am  tall  and  long-armed,  and  I  went  to 
work  in  earnest.  At  the  end  of  the  two  days  there  was  not  a 
corn-blade  left  on  a  stalk  in  the  field.  I  wanted  to  pay  full  dam 
age  for  all  the  wetting  the  book  got,  and  I  made  a  clean  sweep." 


62  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

but  one  of  the  strongest  men  around  Gentry ville. 
He  enjoyed  the  brief  distinction  his  exhibitions  of 
strength  gave  him  more  than  the  admiration  of  his 
friends  for  his  literary  or  forensic  efforts.  Some 
of  the  feats  attributed  to  him  almost  surpass  belief. 
One  witness  declares  he  was  equal  to  three  men, 
having  on  a  certain  occasion  carried  a  load  of  six 
hundred  pounds.  At  another  time  he  walked  away 
with  a  pair  of  logs  which  three  robust  men  were 
skeptical  of  their  ability  to  carry.  "He  could 
strike  with  a  maul  a  heavier  blow — could  sink  an 
axe  deeper  into  wood  than  any  man  I  ever  saw,"  is 
the  testimony  of  another  witness. 

After  he  had  passed  his  nineteenth  year  and  was 
nearing  his  majority  he  began  to  chafe  and  grow 
restless  under  the  restraints  of  home  rule.  Seeing 
no  prospect  of  betterment  in  his  condition,  so  long 
as  his  fortune  was  interwoven  with  that  of  his  father, 
he  at  last  endeavored  to  strike  out  into  the  broad 
world  for  himself.  Having  great  faith  in  the  judg 
ment  and  influence  of  his  fast  friend  Wood,  he 
solicited  from  him  a  recommendation  to  the  officers 
of  some  one  of  the  boats  plying  up  and  down  the 
river,  hoping  thereby  to  obtain  employment  more 
congenial  than  the  dull,  fatiguing  work  of  the  farm. 
To  this  project  the  judicious  Wood  was  much 
opposed,  and  therefore  suggested  to  the  would-be 
boatman  the  moral  duty  that  rested  on  him  to 
remain  with  his  father  till  the  law  released  him  from 
that  obligation.  With  deep  regret  he  retraced  his 
steps  to  the  paternal  mansion,  seriously  determined 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  63 

not  to  evade  the  claim  from  which  in  a  few  weary 
months  he  would  be  finally  released.  Meanwhile 
occurred  his  first  opportunity  to  see  the  world.  In 
March,  1828,  James  Gentry,  for  whom  he  had  been 
at  work,  had  fitted  out  a  boat  with  a  stock  of  grain 
and  meat  for  a  trading  expedition  to  New  Orleans, 
and  placed  his  son  Allen  in  charge  of  the  cargo  for 
the  voyage.  Abe's  desire  to  make  a  river  trip  was 
at  last  satisfied,  and  he  accompanied  the  proprietor's 
son,  serving  as  "bow  hand."  His  pay  was  eight 
dollars  a  month  and  board.  In  due  course  of  time 
the  navigators  returned  from  their  expedition  with 
the  evidence  of  profitable  results  to  gladden  the 
heart  of  the  owner.  The  only  occurrence  of  interest 
they  could  relate  of  the  voyage  was  the  encounter 
with  a  party  of  marauding  negroes  at  the  plantation 
of  Madame  Duchesne,  a  few  miles  below  Baton 
Rouge.  Abe  and  Gentry,  having  tied  up  for  the 
night,  were  fast  asleep  on  their  boat  when  aroused 
by  the  arrival  of  a  crowd  of  negroes  bent  on 
plunder.  They  set  to  work  with  clubs,  and  not 
only  drove  off  the  intruders,  but  pursued  them 
inland,  then  hastily  returning  to  their  quarters 
they  cut  loose  their  craft  and  floated  down-stream 
till  daylight. 

Before  passing  on  further  it  may  not  be  amiss  to 
glance  for  a  moment  at  the  social  side  of  life  as  it 
existed  in  Gentryville  in  Abe's  day.  "We  thought 
nothing,"  said  an  old  lady  whom  I  interviewed 
when  in  Indiana,  "of  going  eight  or  ten  miles  to 
church.  The  ladies  did  not  stop  for  the  want  of  a 
shawl,  cloak,  or  riding-dress  in  winter  time,  but 


64  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

would  put  on  their  husbands'  old  overcoats  and 
wrap  up  their  little  ones  and  take  one  or  two  of 
them  on  their  beasts.  Their  husbands  would  walk, 
and  thus  they  would  go  to  church,  frequently  re 
maining  till  the  second  day  before  they  returned 
home." 

The  old  men  starting  from  the  fields  and  out  of 
the  woods  would  carry  their  guns  on  their  shoulders 
and  go  also.  They  dressed  in  deer-skin  pants,  moc 
casins,  and  coarse  hunting  shirts — the  latter  usually 
fastened  with  a  rope  or  leather  strap.  Arriving  at 
the  house  where  services  were  to  be  held  they 
would  recite  to  each  other  thrilling  stories  of  their 
hunting  exploits,  and  smoke  their  pipes  with  the 
old  ladies.  They  were  treated,  and  treated  each 
other,  with  the  utmost  kindness.  A  bottle  of  liquor, 
a  pitcher  of  water,  sugar,  and  glasses  were  set  out 
for  them ;  also  a  basket  of  apples  or  turnips,  with, 
now  and  then,  a  pie  or  cakes.  Thus  they  regaled 
themselves  till  the  preacher  found  himself  in  a 
condition  to  begin.  The  latter,  having  also  partaken 
freely  of  the  refreshments  provided,  would  "take  his 
stand,  draw  his  coat,  open  his  shirt  collar,  read  his 
text,  and  preach  and  pound  till  the  sweat,  produced 
alike  by  his  exertions  and  the  exhilarating  effects 
of  the  toddy,  rolled  from  his  face  in  great  drops. 
Shaking  hands  and  singing  ended  the  service." 

The  houses  were  scattered  far  apart,  but  the 
people  travelled  great  distances  to  participate  in 
the  frolic  and  coarse  fun  of  a  log-rolling  and  some 
times  a  wedding.  Unless  in  mid-winter  the  young 
ladies  carried  their  shoes  in  their  hands,  and  only 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  65 

put  them  on  when  the  scene  of  the  festivities  was 
reached.  The  ladies  of  maturer  years  drank  whiskey 
toddy,  while  the  men  took  the  whiskey  straight. 
They  all  danced  merrily,  many  of  them  barefooted, 
to  the  tune  of  a  cracked  fiddle  the  night  through. 
We  can  imagine  the  gleeful  and  more  hilarious 
swaggering  home  at  daybreak  to  the  tune  of  Den 
nis  Hanks'  festive  lines: 


'Hail  Columbia,  happy  land, 
If  you  ain't  drunk  I  will  be  damned." 


Although  gay,  prosperous,  and  light-hearted, 
these  people  were  brimming  over  with  superstition. 
It  was  at  once  their  food  and  drink.  They  believed 
in  the  baneful  influence  of  witches,  pinned  their 
faith  to  the  curative  power  of  wizards  in  dealing 
with  sick  animals,  and  shot  the  image  of  a  witch 
with  a  sliver  ball  to  break  the  spell  she  was  supposed 
to  have  over  human  beings.  They  followed  with 
religious  minuteness  the  directions  of  the  water- 
wizard,  with  his  magic  divining  rod,  and  the  faith 
doctor  who  wrought  miraculous  cures  by  strange 
sounds  and  signals  to  some  mysterious  agency. 
The  flight  of  a  bird  in  at  the  window,  the  breath  of 
a  horse  on  a  child's  head,  the  crossing  by  a  dog  of  a 
hunter's  path,  all  betokened  evil  luck  in  store  for 
some  one.  The  moon  exercised  greater  influence 
on  the  actions  of  the  people  and  the  growth  of 
vegetation  than  the  sun  and  all  the  planetary  sys 
tem  combined.  Fence  rails  could  only  be  cut  in  the 
light  of  the  moon,  and  potatoes  planted  in  the  dark 
of  the  moon.  Trees  and  plants  which  bore  their 


66  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

fruit  above  ground  could  be  planted  when  the  moon 
shone  full.  Soap  could  only  be  made  in  the  light 
of  the  moon,  and  it  must  only  be  stirred  in  one  way 
and  by  one  person.  They  had  the  horror  of  Friday 
which  with  many  exists  to  this  day.  Nothing  was 
to  be  begun  on  that  unlucky  day,  for  if  the  rule 
were  violated  an  endless  train  of  disasters  was  sure 
to  follow. 

Surrounded  by  people  who  believed  in  these 
things,  Lincoln  grew  to  manhood.  With  them  he 
walked,  talked,  and  labored,  and  from  them  he  also 
absorbed  whatever  of  superstition  showed  itself  in 
him  thereafter.  His  early  Baptist  training  made 
him  a  fatalist  up  to  the  day  of  his  death,  and, 
listening  in  boyish  wonder  to  the  legends  of  some 
toothless  old  dame  led  him  to  believe  in  the  sig 
nificance  of  dreams  and  visions.  His  surroundings 
helped  to  create  that  unique  character  which  in  the 
eyes  of  a  great  portion  of  the  American  people  was 
only  less  curious  and  amusing  than  it  was  august 
and  noble. 

The  winter  of  1829  was  marked  by  another  visi 
tation  of  that  dreaded  disease,  "the  milk-sick."  It 
was  making  the  usual  ravages  among  the  cattle. 
Human  victims  were  falling  before  it  every  day, 
and  it  caused  the  usual  stampede  in  southern  Indi 
ana.  Dennis  Hanks,  discouraged  by  the  prospect 
and  grieving  over  the  loss  of  his  stock,  proposed  a 
move  further  westward.  Returning  emigrants  had 
brought  encouraging  news  of  the  newly  developed 
state  of  Illinois.  Vast  stretches  of  rich  alluvial 
lands  were  to  be  had  there  on  the  easiest  of  terms. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  67 

Besides  this,  Indiana  no  longer  afforded  any 
inducements  to  the  poor  man.  The  proposition 
of  Dennis  met  with  the  general  assent  of  the  Lin 
coln  family,  and  especially  suited  the  roving  and 
migratory  spirit  of  Thomas  Lincoln.  He  had  been 
induced  to  leave  Kentucky  for  the  hills  of  Indiana 
by  the  same  rosy  and  alluring  reports.  He  had 
moved  four  times  since  his  marriage  and  in  point 
of  worldly  goods  was  not  better  off  than  when  he 
started  in  life.  His  land  groaned  under  the  weight 
of  a  long  neglected  incumb ranee  and,  like  many  of 
his  neighbors,  he  was  ready  for  another  change. 
Having  disposed  of  his  land  to  James  Gentry,  and 
his  grain  and  stock  to  young  David  Turnham,  he 
loaded  his  household  effects  into  a  wagon  drawn  by 
two  yoke  of  oxen,  and  in  March,  1830,  started  for 
Illinois.  The  two  daughters  of  Mrs.  Lincoln  had 
meanwhile  married  Dennis  Hanks  and  Levi  Hall, 
and  with  these  additions  the  party  numbered  thir 
teen  in  all.  Abe  had  just  passed  his  twenty-first 
birthday. 

The  journey  was  a  long  and  tedious  one;  the 
streams  were  swollen  and  the  roads  were  muddy 
almost  to  the  point  of  impassability.  The  rude, 
heavy  wagon,  with  its  primitive  wheels,  creaked  and 
groaned  as  it  crawled  through  the  woods  and  now 
and  then  stalled  in  the  mud.  Many  were  the  delays, 
but  none  ever  disturbed  the  equanimity  of  its  pas 
sengers.  They  were  cheerful  in  the  face  of  all 
adversity,  hopeful,  and  some  of  them  determined; 
but  none  of  them  more  so  than  the  tall,  ungainly 
youth  in  buckskin  breeches  and  coon-skin  cap  who 


68  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

wielded  the  gad  and  urged  the  patient  oxen  for 
ward.  As  these  humble  emigrants  entered  the  new 
State  little  did  the  curious  people  in  the  towns 
through  which  they  passed  dream  that  the  obscure 
and  penniless  driver  who  yelled  his  commands 
to  the  oxen  would  yet  become  Chief  Magistrate 
of  the  greatest  nation  of  modern  times.* 


*  Mr.  Lincoln  once  described  this  journey  to  me.  He  said  the 
ground  had  not  yet  yielded  up  the  frosts  of  winter ;  that  during 
the  day  the  roads  would  thaw  out  on  the  surface  and  at  night 
freeze  over  again,  thus  making  travelling,  especially  with  oxen, 
painfully  slow  and  tiresome.  There  were,  of  course,  no  bridges, 
and  the  party  were  consequently  driven  to  ford  the  streams, 
unless  by  a  circuitous  route  they  could  avoid  them.  In  the 
early  part  of  the  day  the  latter  were  also  frozen  slightly,  and 
the  oxen  would  break  through  a  square  yard  of  thin  ice  at  every 
step.  Among  other  things  which  the  party  brought  with  them 
was  a  pet  dog,  which  trotted  along  after  the  wagon.  One  day 
the  little  fellow  fell  behind  and  failed  to  catch  up  till  after  they 
had  crossed  the  stream.  Missing  him  they  looked  back,  and 
there,  on  the  opposite  bank,  he  stood,  whining  and  jumping  about 
in  great  distress.  The  water  was  running  over  the  broken 
edges  of  the  ice,  and  the  poor  animal  was  afraid  to  cross.  It 
would  not  pay  to  turn  the  oxen  and  wagon  back  and  ford  the 
stream  again  in  order  to  recover  a  dog,  and  so  the  majority, 
in  their  anxiety  to  move  forward,  decided  to  go  on  without  him. 
"But  I  could  not  endure  the  idea  of  abandoning  even  a  dog," 
related  Lincoln.  "Pulling  off  shoes  and  socks  I  waded  across 
the  stream  and  triumphantly  returned  with  the  shivering  animal 
under  my  arm.  His  frantic  leaps  of  joy  and  other  evidences  of 
a  dog's  gratitude  amply  repaid  me  for  all  the  exposure  I  had 
undergone." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AFTER  a  fortnight  of  rough  and  fatiguing  travel 
the  colony  of  Indiana  emigrants  reached  a  point  in 
Illinois  five  miles  north-west  of  the  town  of  Deca- 
tur  in  Macon  county.  John  Hanks,  son  of  that 
Joseph  Hanks  in  whose  shop  at  Elizabethtown 
Thomas  Lincoln  had  learned  what  he  knew  of  the 
carpenter's  art,  met  and  sheltered  them  until  they 
were  safely  housed  on  a  piece  of  land  which  he  had 
selected  for  them  five  miles  further  westward.  He 
had  preceded  them  over  a  year,  and  had  in  the 
meantime  hewed  out  a  few  timbers  to  be  used  in 
the  construction  of  their  cabin.  The  place  he  had 
selected  was  on  a  bluff  overlooking  the  Sangamon 
river, — for  these  early  settlers  must  always  be  in 
sight  of  a  running  stream, — well  supplied  with  tim 
ber.  It  was  a  charming  and  picturesque  site,  and 
all  hands  set  resolutely  to  work  to  prepare  the  new 
abode.  One  felled  the  trees ;  one  hewed  the  tim 
bers  for  the  cabin;  while  another  cleared  the  ground 
of  its  accumulated  growth  of  underbrush.  All  was 
bustle  and  activity.  Even  old  Thomas  Lincoln, 
infused  with  the  spirit  of  the  hour,  was  spurred  to 
unwonted  exertion.  What  part  of  the  work  fell 
to  his  lot  our  only  chronicler,  John  Hanks,  fails  to 
note;  but  it  is  conjectured  from  the  old  gentleman's 

69 


/O  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

experience  in  the  art  of  building  that  his  services 
corresponded  to  those  of  the  more  modern  super 
vising  architect.  With  the  aid  of  the  oxen  and  a 
plow  John  and  Abe  broke  up  fifteen  acres  of  sod, 
and  "Abe  and  myself,"  observes  Hanks  in  a  mat 
ter-of-fact  way,  "split  rails  enough  to  fence  the 
place  in."  As  they  swung  their  axes,  or  with 
wedge  and  maul  split  out  the  rails,  how  strange  to 
them  the  thought  would  have  seemed  that  those 
self-same  rails  were  destined  to  make  one  of  them 
immortal.  If  such  a  vision  flashed  before  the  mind 
of  either  he  made  no  sign  of  it,  but  each  kept  stead 
ily  on  in  his  simple,  unromantic  task. 

Abe  had  now  attained  his  majority  and  began  to 
throw  from  his  shoulders  the  vexations  of  parental 
restraint.  He  had  done  his  duty  to  his  father,  and 
felt  able  to  begin  life  on  his  own  account.  As  he 
steps  out  into  the  broad  and  inviting  world  we  take 
him  up  for  consideration  as  a  man.  At  the  same 
time  we  dispense  with  further  notice  of  his  father, 
Thomas  Lincoln.  In  the  son  are  we  alone  inter 
ested.  The  remaining  years  of  his  life  marked  no 
change  in  the  old  gentleman's  nature.  He  still  lis 
tened  to  the  glowing  descriptions  of  prosperity  in 
the  adjoining  counties,  and  before  his  death  moved 
three  times  in  search  of  better  times  and  a  healthy 
location.  In  1851  we  find  him  living  on  forty  acres 
of  land  on  Goose  Nest  prairie,  in  Coles  county,  Illi 
nois.  The  land  bore  the  usual  incumbrance — a 
mortgage  for  two  hundred  dollars,  which  his  son 
afterwards  paid.  On  the  17th  of  January,  after 
suffering  for  many  weeks  from  a  disorder  of  the  kid- 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  J\ 

neys,  he  passed  away  at  the  ripe  old  age — as  his  son 
tells  us — of  "seventy- three  years  and  eleven  days." 

For  a  long  time  after  beginning  life  on  his  own 
account  Abe  remained  in  sight  of  the  parental 
abode.  He  worked  at  odd  jobs  in  the  neighbor 
hood,  or  wherever  the  demand  for  his  services  called 
him.  As  late  as  1831  he  was  still  in  the  same  parts, 
and  John  Hanks  is  authority  for  the  statement  that 
he  "made  three  thousand  rails  for  Major  Warnick" 
walking  daily  three  miles  to  his  work.  During  the 
intervals  of  leisure  he  read  the  few  books  obtain 
able,  and  continued  the  practice  of  extemporaneous 
speaking  to  the  usual  audience  of  undemonstrative 
stumps  and  voiceless  trees.  His  first  attempt  at 
public  speaking  after  landing  in  Illinois  is  thus 
described  to  me  by  John  Hanks,  whose  language  I 
incorporate:  "After  Abe  got  to  Decatur,  or  rather 
to  Macon  county,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Posey 
came  into  our  neighborhood  and  made  a  speech. 
It  was  a  bad  one,  and  I  said  Abe  could  beat  it.  I 
turned  down  a  box  and  Abe  made  his  speech.  The 
other  man  was  a  candidate — Abe  wasn't.  Abe  beat 
him  to  death,  his  subject  being  the  navigation  of 
the  Sangamon  river.  The  man,  after  Abe's  speech 
was  through,  took  him  aside  and  asked  him  where 
he  had  learned  so  much  and  how  he  could  do  so 
well.  Abe  replied,  stating  his  manner  and  method 
of  reading,  and  what  he  had  read.  The  man  encour 
aged  him  to  persevere." 

For  the  first  time  we  are  now  favored  with  the 
appearance  on  the  scene  of  a  very  important  per 
sonage — one  destined  to  exert  no  little  influence 


72  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

in  shaping  Lincoln's  fortunes.  It  is  Denton  Offut,  a 
brisk  and  venturesome  business  man,  whose  opera 
tions  extended  up  and  down  the  Sangamon  river 
for  many  miles.  Having  heard  glowing  reports  of 
John  Hanks'  successful  experience  as  a  boatman  in 
Kentucky  he  had  come  down  the  river  to  engage  the 
latter's  services  to  take  a  boat-load  of  stock  and 
provisions  to  New  Orleans.  "He  wanted  me  to  go 
badly,"  observes  Hanks,  "but  I  waited  awhile  be 
fore  answering.  I  hunted  up  Abe,  and  I  introduced 
him  and  John  Johnson,  his  step-brother,  to  Offut. 
After  some  talk  we  at  last  made  an  engagement 
with  Offut  at  fifty  cents  a  day  and  sixty  dollars  to 
make  the  trip  to  New  Orleans.  Abe  and  I  came 
down  the  Sangamon  river  in  a  canoe  in  March,  1831 ; 
landed  at  what  is  now  called  Jamestown,  five 
miles  east  of  Springfield,  then  known  as  Judy's 
Ferry."  Here  Johnston  joined  them,  and,  leaving 
their  canoe  in  charge  of  one  Uriah  Mann,  they 
walked  to  Springfield,  where  after  some  inquiry 
they  found  the  genial  and  enterprising  Offut  regal 
ing  himself  with  the  good  cheer  dispensed  at  "The 
Buckhorn"  inn.  This  hostelry,  kept  by  Andrew 
Elliot,  was  the  leading  place  of  its  kind  in  the  then 
unpretentious  village  of  Springfield.  The  figure  of 
a  buck's  head  painted  on  a  sign  swinging  in  front  of 
the  house  gave  rise  to  its  name.  Offut  had  agreed 
with  Hanks  to  have  a  boat  ready  for  him  and  his 
two  companions  at  the  mouth  of  Spring  creek  on 
their  arrival,  but  too  many  deep  potations  with  the 
new-comers  who  daily  thronged  about  the  "Buck- 
horn"  had  interfered  with  the  execution  of  his 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  73 

plans,  and  the  boat  still  remained  in  the  womb  of 
the  future.  Offut  met  the  three  expectant  naviga 
tors  on  their  arrival,  and  deep  were  his  regrets  over 
his  failure  to  provide  the  boat.  The  interview 
resulted  in  the  trio  engaging  to  make  the  boat 
themselves.  From  what  was  known  as  "Congress 
land"  they  obtained  an  abundance  of  timber,  and  by 
the  aid  of  the  machinery  at  Kirkpatrick's  mill  they 
soon  had  the  requisite  material  for  their  vessel. 
While  the  work  of  construction  was  going  on  a 
shanty  was  built  in  which  they  were  lodged.  Lin 
coln  was  elected  cook,  a  distinction  he  never  under 
estimated  for  a  moment.  Within  four  weeks  the 
boat  was  ready  to  launch.  OfTut  was  sent  for,  and 
was  present  when  she  slid  into  the  water.  It  was 
the  occasion  of  much  political  chat  and  buncombe, 
in  which  the  Whig  party  and  Jackson  alike  were, 
strangely  enough,  lauded  to  the  skies.  It  is  difficult 
to  account  for  the  unanimous  approval  of  such 
strikingly  antagonistic  ideas,  unless  it  be  admitted 
that  Offut  must  have  brought  with  him  some  sub 
stantial  reminder  of  the  hospitality  on  draught  at 
the  "Buckhorn"  inn.  Many  disputes  arose,  we  are 
told,  in  which  Lincoln  took  part  and  found  a  good 
field  for  practice  and  debate. 

A  travelling  juggler  halted  long  enough  in  San- 
gamontown,  where  the  boat  was  launched,  to  give 
an  exhibition  of  his  art  and  dexterity  in  the  loft  of 
Jacob  Carman's  house.  In  Lincoln's  low-crowned, 
broad-brimmed  hat  the  magician  cooked  eggs.  As 
explanatory  of  the  delay  in  passing  up  his  hat  Lin- 


74  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

coin  drolly  observed,  "It  was  out  of  respect  for  the 
eggs,  not  care  for  my  hat." 

Having  loaded  the  vessel  with  pork  in  barrels, 
corn,  and  hogs,  these  sturdy  boatmen  swung  out 
into  the  stream.  On  April  19  they  reached  the  town 
of  New  Salem,  a  place  destined  to  be  an  important 
spot  in  the  career  of  Lincoln.  There  they  met 
with  their  first  serious  delay.  The  boat  stranded 
on  Rutledge's  mill-dam  and  hung  helplessly  over  it 
a  clay  and  a  night.  "We  unloaded  the  boat,"  nar 
rated  one  of  the  crew  to  explain  how  they  obtained 
relief  from  their  embarassing  situation;  "that  is,  we 
transferred  the  goods  from  our  boat  to  a  borrowed 
one.  We  then  rolled  the  barrels  forward;  Lincoln 
bored  a  hole  in  the  end  [projecting]  over  the  dam; 
the  water  which  had  leaked  in  ran  out  and  we  slid 
over."  Offut  was  profoundly  impressed  with  this 
exhibition  of  Lincoln's  ingenuity.  In  his  enthusi 
asm  he  declared  to  the  crowd  who  covered  the  hill 
and  who  had  been  watching  Lincoln's  operation 
that  he  would  build  a  steamboat  to  plow  up  and 
down  the  Sangamon,  and  that  Lincoln  should  be  her 
Captain.  She  would  have  rollers  for  shoals  and 
dams,  runners  for  ice,  and  with  Lincoln  in  charge, 
"By  thunder,  she'd  have  to  go!" 

After  release  from  their  embarrassing,  not  to  say 
perilous,  position  the  boat  and  her  crew  floated  away 
from  New  Salem  and  passed  on  to  a  point  known 
as  Blue  Banks,  where  as  the  historian  of  the  voyage 
says:  "We  had  to  load  some  hogs  bought  of  Squire 
Godbey.  We  tried  to  drive  them  aboard,  but  could 
not.  They  would  run  back  past  us.  Lincoln  then 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  75 

suggested  that  we  sew  their  eyes  shut.  Thinking  to 
try  it,  we  caught  them,  Abe  holding  their  heads  and 
I  their  tails  while  Offut  sewed  up  their  eyes.  Still 
they  wouldn't  drive.  At  last,  becoming  tired,  we 
carried  them  to  the  boat.  Abe  received  them  and 
cut  open  their  eyes,  Johnston  and  I  handing  them 
to  him."  After  thus  disposing  of  the  hog  problem 
they  again  swung  loose  and  floated  down-stream. 
From  the  Sangamon  they  passed  to  the  Illinois. 
At  Beardstown  their  unique  craft,  with  its  "sails 
made  of  planks  and  cloth,"  excited  the  amusement 
and  laughter  of  those  who  saw  them  from  the 
shore.  Once  on  the  bosom  of  the  broad  Mis 
sissippi  they  glided  past  Alton,  St.  Louis,  and 
Cairo  in  rapid  succession,  tied  up  for  a  day  at 
Memphis,  and  made  brief  stops  at  Vicksburg  and 
Natchez.  Early  in  May  they  reached  New  Orleans, 
where  they  lingered  a  month,  disposing  of  their 
cargo  and  viewing  the  sights  which  the  Crescent 
City  afforded. 

In  New  Orleans,  for  the  first  time  Lincoln  be 
held  the  true  horrors  of  human  slavery.  He 
saw  "negroes  in  chains — whipped  and  scourged." 
Against  this  inhumanity  his  sense  of  right  and 
justice  rebelled,  and  his  mind  and  conscience  were 
awakened  to  a  realization  of  what  he  had  often 
heard  and  read.  No  doubt,  as  one  of  his  compan 
ions  has  said,  "Slavery  ran  the  iron  into  him  then 
and  there."  One  morning  in  their  rambles  over 
the  city  the  trio  passed  a  slave  auction.  A  vigor 
ous  and  comely  mulatto  girl  was  being  sold.  She 
underwent  a  thorough  examination  at  the  hands  of 


76  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

the  bidders;  they  pinched  her  flesh  and  made  her 
trot  up  and  down  the  room  like  a  horse,  to  show 
how  she  moved,  and  in  order,  as  the  auctioneer  said, 
that  "bidders  might  satisfy  themselves"  whether 
the  article  they  were  offering  to  buy  was  sound  or 
not.  The  whole  thing  was  so  revolting  that  Lincoln 
moved  away  from  the  scene  with  a  deep  feeling  of 
"unconquerable  hate."  Bidding  his  companions 
follow  him  he  said,  "By  God,  boys,  let's  get  away 
from  this.  If  ever  I  get  a  chance  to  hit  that  thing 
[meaning  slavery],  I'll  hit  it  hard."  This  incident 
was  furnished  me  in  1865,  by  John  Hanks.  I  have 
also  heard  Mr.  Lincoln  refer  to  it  himself. 

In  June  the  entire  party,  including  Offut,  boarded 
a  steamboat  going  up  the  river.  At  St.  Louis  they 
disembarked,  Offut  remaining  behind  while  Lin 
coln,  Hanks,  and  Johnston  started  across  Illinois 
on  foot.  At  Edwardsville  they  separated,  Hanks 
going  to  Springfield,  while  Lincoln  and  his  step 
brother  followed  the  road  to  Coles  county,  to  which 
point  old  Thomas  Lincoln  had  meanwhile  removed. 
Here  Abe  did  not  tarry  long,  probably  not  over  a 
month,  but  long  enough  to  dispose  most  effectually 
of  one  Daniel  Needham,  a  famous  wrestler  who  had 
challenged  the  returned  boatman  to  a  test  of 
strength.  The  contest  took  place  at  a  locality 
known  as  "Wabash  Point."  Abe  threw  his  an 
tagonist  twice  with  comparative  ease,  and  thereby 
demonstrated  such  marked  strength  and  agility  as 
to  render  him  forever  popular  with  the  boys  of  that 
neighborhood. 

In    August    the    waters    of    the    Sangamon     river 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  77 

washed  Lincoln  in  to  New  Salem.  This  once 
sprightly  and  thriving  village  is  no  longer  in  exist 
ence.  Not  a  building,  scarcely  a  stone,  is  left  to 
mark  the  place  where  it  once  stood.  To  reach  it 
now  the  traveller  must  ascend  a  bluff  a  hundred 
feet  above  the  general  level  of  the  surrounding 
country.  The  brow  of  the  ridge,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  broad  where  it  overlooks  the  river,  widens 
gradually  as  it  extends  westwardly  to  the  forest 
and  ultimately  to  broad  pastures.  Skirting  the  base 
of  the  bluff  is  the  Sangamon  river,  which,  coming 
around  a  sudden  bend  from  the  south-east,  strikes 
the  rocky  hill  and  is  turned  abruptly  north.  Here 
is  an  old  mill,  driven  by  water-power,  and  reaching 
across  the  river  is  the  mill-dam  on  which  Offut's 
vessel  hung  stranded  in  April,  1831.  As  the  river 
rolled  her  turbid  waters  over  the  dam,  plunging 
them  into  the  whirl  and  eddy  beneath,  the  roar 
of  waters,  like  low,  continuous,  distant  thunder, 
could  be  distinctly  heard  through  the  village  day 
and  night. 

The  country  in  almost  every  direction  is  diversi 
fied  by  alternate  stretches  of  hills  and  level  lands, 
with  streams  between  each  struggling  to  reach  the 
river.  The  hills  are  bearded  with  timber — oak, 
hickory,  walnut,  ash,  and  elm.  Below  them  are 
stretches  of  rich  alluvial  bottom  land,  and  the  eye 
ranges  over  a  vast  expanse  of  foliage,  the  monotony 
of  which  is  relieved  by  the  alternating  swells  and 
depressions  of  the  landscape.  Between  peak  and 
peak,  through  its  bed  of  limestone,  sand,  and  clay, 
sometimes  kissing  the  feet  of  one  bluff  and  then 


78  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

hugging  the  other,  rolls  the  Sangamon  river.  The 
village  of  New  Salem,  which  once  stood  on  the 
ridge,  was  laid  out  in  1828;  it  became  a  trading 
place,  and  in  1836  contained  twenty  houses  and  a 
hundred  inhabitants.  In  the  days  of  land  offices  and 
stage-coaches  it  was  a  sprightly  village  with  a  busy 
market.  Its  people  were  progressive  and  industri 
ous.  Propitious  winds  filled  the  sails  of  its  com 
merce,  prosperity  smiled  graciously  on  its  every  en 
terprise,  and  the  outside  world  encouraged  its  social 
pretensions.  It  had  its  day  of  glory,  but,  singu 
larly  enough,  contemporaneous  with  the  departure  of 
Lincoln  from  its  midst  it  went  into  a  rapid  decline. 
A  few  crumbling  stones  here  and  there  are  all  that 
attest  its  former  existence.  "How  it  vanished," 
observes  one  writer,  "like  a  mist  in  the  morning, 
to  what  distant  places  its  inhabitants  dispersed, 
and  what  became  of  the  abodes  they  left  behind, 
shall  be  questions  for  the  local  historian." 

Lincoln's  return  to  New  Salem  in  August,  1831, 
was,  within  a  few  days,  contemporaneous  with  the 
reappearance  of  Offut,  who  made  the  gratifying 
announcement  that  he  had  purchased  a  stock  of 
goods  which  were  to  follow  him  from  Beardstown. 
He  had  again  retained  the  services  of  Lincoln  to 
assist  him  when  his  merchandise  should  come  to 
hand.  The  tall  stranger — destined  to  be  a  stranger 
in  New  Salem  no  longer — pending  the  arrival  of  his 
employer's  goods,  lounged  about  the  village  with 
nothing  to  do.  Leisure  never  sat  heavily  on  him. 
To  him  there  was  nothing  uncongenial  in  it,  and  he 
might  very  properly  have  been  dubbed  at  the  time 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  79 

a  "loafer."  He  assured  those  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact  that  he  was  a  piece  of  floating  driftwood; 
that  after  the  winter  of  deep  snow,  he  had  come 
down  the  river  with  the  freshet;  borne  along  by  the 
swelling  waters,  and  aimlessly  floating  about,  he  had 
accidentally  lodged  at  New  Salem.  Looking  back 
over  his  history  we  are  forced  to  conclude  that 
Providence  or  chance,  or  whatever  power  is  re 
sponsible  for  it,  could  not  have  assigned  him  to  a 
more  favorable  refuge. 

His  introduction  to  the  citizens  of  New  Salem,  as 
Mentor  Graham*  the  school-teacher  tells  us,  was  in 
the  capacity  of  clerk  of  an  election  board.  Graham 
furnishes  ample  testimony  of  the  facility,  fairness, 
and  honesty  which  characterized  the  new  clerk's 
work,  and  both  teacher  and  clerk  were  soon  bound 
together  by  the  warmest  of  ties.  During  the  day, 
when  votes  were  coming  in  slowly,  Lincoln  began 
to  entertain  the  crowd  at  the  polls  with  a  few 
attempts  at  story-telling.  My  cousin,  J.  R.  Herndon, 
was  present  and  enjoyed  this  feature  of  the  election 
with  the  keenest  relish.  He  never  forgot  some  of 
Lincoln's  yarns,  and  was  fond  of  repeating  them  in 
after  years.  The  recital  of  a  few  stories  by  Lincoln 
easily  established  him  in  the  good  graces  of  all 
New  Salem.  Perhaps  he  did  not  know  it  at  the  time, 
but  he  had  used  the  weapon  nearest  at  hand  and 
had  won.f 

*  Nicolay  and  Hay  in  the  Century  make  the  mistake  of  spell 
ing  this  man's  name  "Menton"  Graham.  In  all  the  letters  and 
papers  from  him  he  signs  himself  "Mentor"  in  every  case. — 
J.  W.  W. 

t  "In  the  afternoon,  as  things  were  dragging  a  little,  Lincoln 


80  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

A  few  days  after  the  election  Lincoln  found  em 
ployment  with  one  Dr.  Nelson,  who  after  the  style 
of  dignitaries  of  later  days  started  with  his  family 
and  effects  in  his  "private"  conveyance — which  in 
this  instance  was  a  flat-boat — for  Texas.  Lincoln 
was  hired  to  pilot  the  vessel  through  to  the  Illinois 
river.  Arriving  at  Beardstown  the  pilot  was  dis 
charged,  and  returned  on  foot  across  the  sand  and 


the  new  man,  began  to  spin  out  a  stock  of  Indiana  yarns.  One 
that  amused  me  more  than  any  other  he  called  the  lizard  story. 
'The  meeting-house,'  he  said,  'was  in  the  woods  and  quite  a  dis- 
tance  from  any  other  house.  It  was  only  used  once  a  month. 
The  preacher — an  old  line  Baptist — was  dressed  in  coarse  linen 
pantaloons,  and  shirt  of  the  same  material.  The  pants,  manu 
factured  after  the  old  fashion,  with  baggy  legs  and  a  flap  in 
front,  were  made  to  attach  to  his  frame  without  the  aid  of  sus 
penders.  A  single  button  held  his  shirt  in  position,  and  that  was 
at  the  collar.  He  rose  up  in  the  pulpit  and  with  a  loud  voice  an 
nounced  his  text  thus :  'I  am  the  Christ,  whom  I  shall  repre 
sent  to-day.'  About  this  time  a  little  blue  lizard  ran  up  under 
neath  his  roomy  pantaloons.  The  old  preacher,  not  wishing  to 
interrupt  the  steady  flow  of  his  sermon,  slapped  away  on  his 
legs,  expecting  to  arrest  the  intruder ;  but  his  efforts  were  un 
availing,  and  the  little  fellow  kept  on  ascending  higher  and 
higher.  Continuing  the  sermon,  the  preacher  slyly  loosened  the 
central  button  which  graced  the  waist-band  of  his  pantaloons 
and  with  a  kick  off  came  that  easy-fitting  garment.  But  mean 
while  Mr.  Lizard  had  passed  the  equatorial  line  of  waist-band 
and  was  calmly  exploring  that  part  of  the  preacher's  anatomy 
which  lay  underneath  the  back  of  his  shirt.  Things  were  now 
growing  interesting,  but  the  sermon  was  still  grinding  on.  The 
next  movement  on  the  preacher's  part  was  for  the  collar  button, 
and  with  one  sweep  of  his  arm  off  came  the  tow  linen  shirt. 
The  congregation  sat  for  an  instant  as  if  dazed ;  at  length  one 
old  lady  in  the  rear  of  the  room  rose  up  and  glancing  at  the  ex 
cited  object  in  the  pulpit,  shouted  at  the  top  of  her  voice:  'If 
you  represent  Christ  then  I'm  done  with  the  Bible.'  " — J.  R. 
Herndon,  MS.,  July  2,  1865. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  gj 

hills  to  New  Salem.  In  the  meantime  Offut's  long 
expected  goods  had  arrived,  and  Lincoln  was  placed 
in  charge.  Offut  relied  in  no  slight  degree  on  the 
business  capacity  of  his  clerk.  In  his  effusive  way 
he  praised  him  beyond  reason.  He  boasted  of  his 
skill  as  a  business  man  and  his  wonderful  intellect 
ual  acquirements.  As  for  physical  strength  and 
fearlessness  of  danger,  he  challenged  New  Salem 
and  the  entire  world  to  produce  his  equal.  In 
keeping  with  his  widely  known  spirit  of  enterprise 
Offut  rented  the  Rutledge  and  Cameron  mill,  which 
stood  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  thus  added  another 
iron  to  keep  company  with  the  half-dozen  already 
in  the  fire.  As  a  further  test  of  his  business  ability 
Lincoln  was  placed  in  charge  of  this  also.  William 
G.  Greene  was  hired  to  assist  him,  and  between  the 
two  a  life-long  friendship  sprang  up.  They  slept  in 
the  store,  and  so  strong  was  the  intimacy  between 
them  that  "when  one  turned  over  the  other  had  to 
do  likewise."  At  the  head  of  these  varied  enter 
prises  was  Offut,  the  most  progressive  man  by  all 
odds  in  the  village.  He  was  certainly  an  odd 
character,  if  we  accept  the  judgment  of  his  contem 
poraries.  By  some  he  is  given  the  character  of 
a  clear-headed,  brisk  man  of  affairs.  By  others 
he  is  variously  described  as  "wild,  noisy,  and 
reckless,"  or  "windy,  rattle-brained,  unsteady,  and 
improvident."  Despite  the  unenviable  traits  as 
cribed  to  him  he  was  good  at  heart  and  a  generous 
friend  of  Lincoln.  His  boast  that  the  latter  could 
outrun,  whip,  or  throw  down  any  man  in  Sangamon 
county  was  soon  tested,  as  we  shall  presently  see, 


82  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

for,  as  another  has  truthfully  expressed  it,  "honors 
such    as   OfTut  accorded  to  Abe  were  to  be  won  be 
fore  they  were  worn  at  New  Salem."     In  the  neigh 
borhood  of  the  village,  or  rather  a  few  miles  to  the 
south-west,  lay  a  strip  of  timber  called  Clary's  Grove. 
The    boys    who    lived    there    were    a    terror    to    the 
entire    region — seemingly    a    necessary    product    of 
frontier   civilization.    They   were   friendly  and  good- 
natured  ;  they   could   trench   a   pond,  dig  a  bog,  build 
a  house;  they  could  pray  and  fight,  make  a  village 
or   create   a   state.    They   would   do   almost  anything 
for  sport  or  fun,  love  or  necessity.     Though     rude 
and   rough,  though  life's   forces   ran  over  the   edge 
of  the  bowl,   foaming  and  sparkling    in    pure    dev 
iltry     for    deviltry's    sake,    yet    place    before    them 
a  poor  man  who  needed  their    aid,    a    lame    or    sick 
man,  a  defenceless  woman,  a  widow,  or  an   orphaned 
child,   they    melted    into     sympathy    and   charity   at 
once.     They  gave  all  they  had,  and  willingly  toiled 
or  played  cards    for  more.    Though  there  never  was 
under  the  sun  a  more  generous    parcel    of    rowdies, 
a  stranger's   introduction  was  likely  to  be  the  most 
unpleasant    part    of    his    acquaintance     with     them. 
They  conceded  leadership  to   one     Jack     Armstrong, 
a   hardy,   strong,    and    well-developed    specimen    of 
physical  manhood,  and  under  him  they   were   in   the 
habit    of   "cleaning  out"   New    Salem  whenever  his 
order  went   forth  to  do  so.     Offut  and  "Bill"  Clary 
— the    latter    skeptical    of    Lincoln's    strength     and 
agility — ended  a  heated  discussion  in   the   store  one 
day  over  the  new  clerk's  ability  to  meet  the  tactics 
of  Clary's   Grove,  by   a   bet   of   ten  dollars  that  Jack 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  83 

Armstrong  was,  in  the  language  of  the  day,  "a 
better  man  than  Lincoln."  The  new  clerk  strongly 
opposed  this  sort  of  an  introduction,  but  after 
much  entreaty  from  Offut,  at  last  consented  to  make 
his  bow  to  the  social  lions  of  the  town  in  this  un 
usual  way.  He  was  now  six  feet  four  inches  high, 
and  weighed,  as  his  friend  and  confidant,  William 
Greene,  tells  us  with  impressive  precision,  "two  hun 
dred  and  fourteen  pounds."  The  contest  was  to 
be  a  friendly  one  and  fairly  conducted.  All  New 
Salem  adjourned  to  the  scene  of  the  wrestle. 
Money,  whiskey,  knives,  and  all  manner  of  property 
were  staked  on  the  result.  It  is  unnecessary  to 
go  into  the  details  of  the  encounter.  Every 
one  knows  how  it  ended;  how  at  last  the  tall 
and  angular  rail-splitter,  enraged  at  the  suspicion 
of  foul  tactics,  and  profiting  by  his  height 
and  the  length  of  his  arms,  fairly  lifted  the 
great  bully  by  the  throat  and  shook  him  like  a 
rag;  how  by  this  act  he  established  himself  solidly 
in  the  esteem  of  all  New  Salem,  and  secured 
the  respectful  admiration  and  friendship  of  the 
very  man  whom  he  had  so  thoroughly  vanquished.* 
From  this  time  forward  Jack  Armstrong,  his  wife 


*  Mr.  Lincoln's  remarkable  strength  resulted  not  so  much  from 
muscular  power  as  from  the  toughness  of  his  sinews.  He  could 
not  only  lift  from  the  ground  enormous  weight,  but  could  throw 
a  cannon-ball  or  a  maul  farther  than  anyone  else  in  New  Salem. 
I  heard  him  explain  once  how  he  was  enabled  thus  to  excel  oth 
ers.  He  did  not  attribute  it  to  a  greater  proportion  of  physical 
strength,  but  contended  that  because  of  the  unusual  length  of 
his  arms  the  ball  or  projectile  had  a  greater  swing  and  there 
fore  acquired  more  force  and  momentum  than  in  the  hands  of 
an  average  man. 


84  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

Hannah,  and  all  the  other  Armstrongs  became  his 
warm  and  trusted  friends.  None  stood  readier 
than  they  to  rally  to  his  support,  none  more  will 
ing  to  lend  a  helping  hand.  Lincoln  appreciated 
their  friendship  and  support,  and  in  after  years 
proved  his  gratitude  by  saving  one  member  of  the 
family  from  the  gallows. 

The  business  done  over  Offut's  counter  gave  his 
clerk  frequent  intervals  of  rest,  so  that,  if  so  inclined, 
an  abundance  of  time  for  study  was  always  at  his 
disposal.  Lincoln  had  long  before  realized  the 
deficiencies  of  his  education,  and  resolved,  now  that 
the  conditions  were  favorable,  to  atone  for  early 
neglect  by  a  course  of  study.  Nothing  was  more 
apparent  to  him  than  his  limited  knowledge  of 
language,  and  the  proper  way  of  expressing  his  ideas. 
Moreover,  it  may  be  said  that  he  appreciated  his 
inefficiency  in  a  rhetorical  sense,  and  therefore  de 
termined  to  overcome  all  these  obstacles  by  master 
ing  the  intricacies  of  grammatical  construction. 
Acting  on  the  advice  of  Mentor  Graham  he  hunted 
up  one  Vaner,  who  was  the  reputed  owner  of  Kirk- 
ham's  Grammar,  and  after  a  walk  of  several  miles 
returned  to  the  store  with  the  coveted  volume  under 
his  arm.  With  zealous  perseverance  he  at  once 
applied  himself  to  the  book.  Sometimes  he  would 
stretch  out  at  full  length  on  the  counter,  his  head 
propped  up  on  a  stack  of  calico  prints,  studying  it; 
or  he  would  steal  away  to  the  shade  of  some  invit 
ing  tree,  and  there  spend  hours  at  a  time  in  a  deter 
mined  effort  to  fix  in  his  mind  the  arbitrary  rule 
that  "adverbs  qualify  verbs,  adjectives,  and  other 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  35 

adverbs."  From  the  vapidity  of  grammar  it  was 
now  and  then  a  great  relaxation  to  turn  to  the  more 
agreeable  subject  of  mathematics;  and  he  might 
often  have  been  seen  lying  face  downwards,  stretched 
out  over  six  feet  of  grass,  figuring  out  on  scraps  of 
paper  some  problem  given  for  solution  by  a  quiz 
zical  store  lounger,  or  endeavoring  to  prove  that, 
"multiplying  the  denominator  of  a  fraction  divides 
it,  while  dividing  the  denominator  multiplies  it." 
Rather  a  poor  prospect  one  is  forced  to  admit  for 
a  successful  man  of  business. 

At  this  point  in  my  narrative  I  am  pained  to  drop 
from  further  notice  our  buoyant  and  effusive  friend 
Offut.  His  business  ventures  failing  to  yield  the  ex 
tensive  returns  he  predicted,  and  too  many  of  his  obli 
gations  maturing  at  the  same  time,  he  was  forced  to 
pay  the  penalty  of  commercial  delinquency  and  went 
to  the  wall.  -He  soon  disappeared  from  the  village, 
and  the  inhabitants  thereof  never  knew  whither  he 
went.  In  the  significant  language  of  Lincoln  he 
"petered  out."  As  late  as  1873  I  received  a  letter 
from  Dr.  James  Hall,  a  physician  living  at  St.  Den 
nis,  near  Baltimore,  Maryland,  who,  referring  to  the 
disappearance  of  Offut,  relates  the  following  reminis 
cence:  "Of  what  consequence  to  know  or  learn 
more  of  Offut  I  cannot  imagine ;  but  be  assured  he 
turned  up  after  leaving  New  Salem.  On  meeting 
the  name  it  seemed  familiar,  but  I  could  not  locate 
him.  Finally  I  fished  up  from  memory  that  some 
twenty-five  years  ago  one  "Denton  Offut"  appeared 
in  Baltimore,  hailing  from  Kentucky,  advertising 
himself  in  the  city  papers  as  a  verterinary  surgeon 


85  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

and  horse  tamer,  professing  to  have  a  secret  to  whis 
per  in  the  horse's  ear,  or  a  secret  manner  of  whisper 
ing  in  his  ear,  which  he  could  communicate  to  oth 
ers,  and  by  which  the  most  refractory  and  vicious 
horse  could  be  quieted  and  controlled.  For  this 
secret  he  charged  five  dollars,  binding  the  recipient 
by  oath  not  to  divulge  it.  I  know  several  persons, 
young  fancy  horsemen,  who  paid  for  the  trick. 
Offut  advertised  himself  not  only  through  the  press, 
but  by  his  strange  attire.  He  appeared  in  the 
streets  on  horseback  and  on  foot,  in  plain  citizens' 
dress  of  black,  but  with  a  broad  sash  across  his  right 
shoulder,  of  various  colored  ribbons,  crossed  on  his 
left  hip  under  a  large  rosette  of  the  same  material, 
the  whole  rendering  his  appearance  most  ludicrously 
conspicuous.  Having  occasion  to  purchase  a  horse 
I  encountered  him  at  several  of  our  stables  and  was 
strongly  urged  to  avail  myself  of  his  secret.  So 
much  for  Offut;  but  were  he  living. in  '61,  I  doubt 
not  Mr.  Lincoln  would  have  heard  of  him." 

The  early  spring  of  1832  brought  to  Springfield 
and  New  Salem  a  most  joyful  announcement.  It 
was  the  news  of  the  coming  of  a  steamboat  down 
the  Sangamon  river — proof  incontestable  that  the 
stream  was  navigable.  The  enterprise  was  under^ 
taken  and  carried  through  by  Captain  Vincent  Bogue, 
of  Springfield,  who  had  gone  to  Cincinnati  to  procure 
a  vessel  and  thus  settle  the  much-mooted  question 
of  the  river's  navigability.  When,  therefore,  he 
notified  the  people  of  his  town  that  the  steam 
boat  Talisman  would  put  out  from  Cincinnati  for 
Springfield,  we  can  well  imagine  what  great  excite- 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  87 

ment  and  unbounded  enthusiasm  followed  the  an 
nouncement.  Springfield,  New  Salem,  and  all  the 
other  towns  along  the  now  interesting  Sangamon* 
were  to  be  connected  by  water  with  the  outside 
world.  Public  meetings,  with  the  accompaniment 
of  long  subscription  lists,  were  held;  the  merchants 
of  Springfield  advertised  the  arrival  of  goods  "di 
rect  from  the  East  per  steamer  Talisman;"  the 
mails  were  promised  as  often  as  once  a  week  from 
the  same  direction;  all  the  land  adjoining  each 
enterprising  and  aspiring  village  along  the  river  was 
subdivided  into  town  lots — in  fact,  the  whole  region 
began  to  feel  the  stimulating  effects  of  what,  in 
later  days,  would  have  been  called  a  "boom."  I 
remember  the  occasion  well,  for  two  reasons.  It 
was  my  first  sight  of  a  steamboat,  and  also  the  first 
time  I  ever  saw  Mr.  Lincoln — although  I  never  be 
came  acquainted  with  him  till  his  second  race  for 
the  Legislature  in  1834.  In  response  to  the  sug 
gestion  of  Captain  Bogue,  made  from  Cincinnati,  a 
number  of  citizens — among  the  number  Lincoln — 
had  gone  down  the  river  to  Beardstown  to  meet 
the  vessel  as  she  emerged  from  the  Illinois.  These 
were  armed  with  axes  having  long  handles,  to  cut 
away,  as  Bogue  had  recommended,  "branches  of  trees 
hanging  over  from  the  banks."  After  having  passed 
New  Salem,  I  and  other  boys  on  horseback  followed 
the  boat,  riding  along  the  river's  bank  as  far  as 


*  The  final  syllable  of  this  name  was  then  pronounced  to 
rhyme  with  "raw."  In  later  days  the  letter  "n"  was  added — 
probably  for  euphony's  sake. 


gg  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

Bogue's  mill,  where  she  tied  up.  There  we  went 
aboard,  and  lost  in  boyish  wonder,  feasted  our  eyes 
on  the  splendor  of  her  interior  decorations.  The 
Sangamon  Journal  of  that  period  contains  numer 
ous  poetical  efforts  celebrating  the  Talis 
man's  arrival.  A  few  lines  under  date  of  April 
5,  1832,  unsigned,  but  supposed  to  have  been 
the  product  of  a  local  poet — one  Oliphant* — were 
sung  to  the  tune  of  "Clar  de  Kitchen."  I  cannot 
refrain  from  inflicting  a  stanza  or  two  of  this  ode  on 
the  reader: 

"O,  Captain  Bogue  he  gave  the  load, 
And  Captain  Bogue  he  showed  the  road ; 
And   we   came   up  with   a  right   good  will, 
And   tied   our  boat  up  to   his   mill. 

Now   we   are   up   the   Sangamo, 
And  here  we'll  have  a  grand  hurra, 
So   fill   your    glasses    to    the   brim, 
Of    whiskey,    brandy,    wine,    and    gin. 

Illinois   suckers,   young   and   raw, 
Were    strung    along    the    Sangamo, 
To    see   a   boat   come   up   by   steam 
They  surely  thought  it  was  a  dream." 

On  its  arrival  at  Springfield,  or  as  near  Springfield 
as  the  river  ran,  the  crew  of  the  boat  were  given  a 
reception  and  dance  in  the  court-house.  The  cream 
of  the  town's  society  attended  to  pay  their  respects 
to  the  newly  arrived  guests.  The  captain  in  charge 
of  the  boat — not  Captain  Bogue,  but  a  vainly 
dressed  fellow  from  the  East — was  accompanied  by 
a  woman,  more  gaudily  attired  than  himself,  whom 


*  B.   P.   Oliphant,   a  lawyer. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  39 

he  introduced  as  his  wife.  Of  course  the  most  con 
siderate  attention  was  shown  them  both,  until  later 
in  the  evening,  when  it  became  apparent  that  the 
gallant  officer  and  his  fair  partner  had  imbibed  too 
freely — for  in  those  days  we  had  plenty  of  good 
cheer — and  were  becoming  unpleasantly  demonstra 
tive  in  their  actions.  This  breach  of  good  manners 
openly  offended  the  high-toned  nature  of  Spring 
field's  fair  ladies;  but  not  more  than  the  lament 
able  fact,  which  they  learned  on  the  following  day, 
that  the  captain's  partner  was  not  his  wife  after  all, 
but  a  woman  of  doubtful  reputation  whom  he  had 
brought  with  him  from  some  place  further  east. 
But  to  return  to  the  Talisman.  That  now  inter 
esting  vessel  lay  for  a  week  longer  at  Bogue's  mill, 
when  the  receding  waters  admonished  her  officers 
that  unless  they  purposed  spending  the  remainder 
of  the  year  there  they  must  head  her  down-stream. 
In  this  emergency  recourse  was  had  to  my  cousin 
Rowan  Herndon,  who  had  had  no  little  experience 
as  a  boatman,  and  who  recommended  the  employ 
ment  of  Lincoln  as  a  skilful  assistant.  These  two 
inland  navigators  undertook  therefore  the  contract 
of  piloting  the  vessel — which  had  now  become  ele 
phantine  in  proportions — through  the  uncertain 
channel  of  the  Sangamon  to  the  Illinois  river. 
The  average  speed  was  four  miles  a  day.  At  New 
Salem  safe  passage  over  the  mill-dam  was  deemed 
impossible  unless  the  same  could  be  lowered  or  a 
portion  removed.*  To  this,  Cameron  and  Rut- 


*  The  affair  at  New  Salem  is  thus  described  by  Oliphant  in 
the   poem   before   referred   to : 


90  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

ledge,  owners  of  the  mill,  entered  their  most  stren 
uous  protest.  The  boat's  officers  responded  that 
under  the  Federal  Constitution  and  laws  no  one  had 
the  right  to  dam  up  or  in  any  way  obstruct  a  navi 
gable  stream,  and  they  argued  that,  as  they  had  just 
demonstrated  that  the  Sangamon  was  navigable  (  ?) , 
they  proposed  to  remove  enough  of  the  obstruc 
tion  to  let  the  boat  through.  Rowan  Herndon, 
describing  it  to  me  in  1865,  said:  "When  we 
struck  the  dam  she  hung.  We  then  backed  off  and 
threw  the  anchor  over.  We  tore  away  part  of  the 
dam  and  raising  steam  ran  her  over  on  the  first 
trial."  The  entire  proceeding  stirred  up  no  little 
feeling,  in  which  mill  owners,  boat  officers,  and  pas 
sengers  took  part.  The  effect  the  return  trip  of 
the  Talisman  had  on  those  who  believed  in  the 
successful  navigation  of  the  Sangamon  is  shrewdly 
indicated  by  the  pilot,  who  with  laconic  compla 
cency  adds:  "As  soon  as  she  was  over,  the  com 
pany  that  chartered  her  was  done  with  her."  Lin 
coln  and  Herndon,  in  charge  of  the  vessel,  piloted 
her  through  to  Beardstown.  There  they  were  paid 
forty  dollars  each,  according  to  contract,  and  bid 
ding  adieu  to  the  Talisman's  officers  and  crew, 
set  out  on  foot  for  New  Salem  again.  A  few 
months  later  the  Talisman  caught  fire  at  the 
wharf  in  St.  Louis  and  went  up  in  flames.  The 
experiment  of  establishing  a  steamboat  line  to 


"And  when  we  came  to  Salem  dam, 
Up    we    went    against    it    jam : 
We  tried  to  cross  with  all  our  might, 
But  found  we  couldn't  and  staid  all  night" 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  91 

Springfield  proved  an  unfortunate  venture  for  its 
projector,  Captain  Bogue.  Finding  himself  unable 
to  meet  his  rapidly  maturing  obligations,  incurred  in 
aid  of  the  enterprise,  it  is  presumed  that  he  left  the 
country,  for  the  Journal  of  that  period  is  filled 
with  notices  of  attachment  proceedings  brought  by 
vigilant  creditors  who  had  levied  on  his  goods. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  departure  of  the  Talisman  for  deeper 
waters,  the  downfall  of  Denton  Offut's  varied 
enterprises  and  his  disappearance  from  New  Salem, 
followed  in  rapid  succession,  and  before  the  spring 
of  1832  had  merged  into  summer  Lincoln  found 
himself  a  piece  of  "floating  driftwood"  again. 
Where  he  might  have  lodged  had  not  the  Black 
Hawk  war  intervened  can  only  be  a  matter  of  con 
jecture.  A  glance  at  this  novel  period  in  his  life 
may  not  be  out  of  keeping  with  the  purpose  of  this 
book.  The  great  Indian  chief,  Black  Hawk,  who 
on  the  30th  of  June,  1831,  had  entered  into  an 
agreement,  having  all  the  solemnity  of  a  treaty,  with 
Governor  Reynolds  and  General  Gaines  that  none  of 
his  tribe  should  ever  cross  the  Mississippi  "to  their 
usual  place  of  residence,  nor  any  part  of  their  old 
hunting  grounds  east  of  the  Mississippi,  without 
permission  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  or 
the  governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois,"  had  openly 
broken  the  compact.  On  the  6th  of  April,  1832,  he 
recrossed  the  Mississippi  and  marched  up  Rock 
River  Valley,  accompanied  by  about  five  hundred 
warriors  on  horseback;  while  his  women  and  children 
went  up  the  river  in  canoes.  The  great  chief  was 
now  sixty-seven  years  old,  and  believed  that  his  plots 

92 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  93 

were  all  ripe  and  his  allies  fast  and  true.  Although 
warned  by  General  Atkinson,  then  in  command  of 
Fort  Armstrong,  against  this  aggression,  and 
ordered  to  return,  he  proudly  refused,  claiming  that 
he  had  "come  to  plant  corn."  On  being  informed 
of  the  movement  of  Black  Hawk  Governor  Reynolds 
called  for  a  thousand  mounted  volunteers  to  co-op 
erate  with  the  United  States  forces  under  command 
of  General  Atkinson,  and  drive  the  wily  Indian 
back  across  the  Mississippi.  The  response  to  the 
governor's  call  was  prompt  and  energetic.  In  the 
company  from  Sangamon  county  Lincoln  enlisted, 
and  now  for  the  first  time  entered  on  the  vicissi- 
tudinous  and  dangerous  life  of  a  soldier.  That  he 
in  fact  regarded  the  campaign  after  the  Indians  as 
a  sort  of  holiday  affair  and  chicken-stealing  expe 
dition  is  clearly  shown  in  a  speech  he  afterwards 
made  in  Congress  in  exposure  of  the  military  pre 
tensions  of  General  Cass.  However,  in  grim,  sol 
dierly  severity  he  marched  with  the  Sangamon 
county  contingent  to  Rushville,*  in  Schuyler 
county,  where,  much  to  his  surprise,  he  was  elected 

*  While  at  the  rendezvous  at  Rushville  and  on  the  march  to 
the  front  Lincoln  of  course  drilled  his  men,  and  gave  them 
such  meager  instruction  in  military  tactics  as  he  could  im 
part.  Some  of  the  most  grotesque  things  he  ever  related  were 
descriptions  of  these  drills.  Tn  marching  one  morning  at 
the  head  of  the  company,  who  were  following  in  lines  of 
twenty  abreast,  it  became  necessary  to  pass  through  a  gate 
much  narrower  than  the  lines.  The  captain  could  not  re 
member  the  proper  command  to  turn  the  company  endwise, 
and  the  situation  was  becoming  decidedly  embarrassing,  when 
one  of  those  thoughts  born  of  the  depths  of  despair  came  to 
his  rescue.  Facing  the  lines  he  shouted :  "Halt !  This  company 
will  break  ranks  for  two  minutes  and  form  again  on  the 
other  side  of  the  gate."  The  manoeuvre  was  successfully 
executed. 


94  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

captain  of  the  company  over  William  Kirkpatrick. 
A  recital  of  the  campaign  that  followed,  in  the  effort 
to  drive  the  treacherous  Indians  back,  or  a  descrip 
tion  of  the  few  engagements — none  of  which 
reached  the  dignity  of  a  battle — which  took  place, 
have  in  no  wise  been  overlooked  by  the  historians 
of  Illinois  and  of  the  Black  Hawk  war.  With  the 
exception  of  those  things  which  relate  to  Lincoln 
alone  I  presume  it  would  be  needless  to  attempt  to 
add  anything  to  what  has  so  thoroughly  and  truth 
fully  been  told. 

On  being  elected  captain,  Lincoln  replied  in  a 
brief  response  of  modest  and  thankful  acceptance. 
It  was  the  first  official  trust  ever  turned  over  to  his 
keeping,  and  he  prized  it  and  the  distinction  it  gave 
him  more  than  any  which  in  after  years  fell  to  his 
lot.  His  company  savored  strongly  of  the  Clary's 
Grove  order,  and  though  daring  enough  in  the 
presence  of  danger,  were  difficult  to  bring  down  to 
the  inflexibilities  of  military  discipline.  Each  one 
seemed  perfectly  able  and  willing  to  care  for  him 
self,  and  while  the  captain's  authority  was  respect 
fully  observed,  yet,  as  some  have  said,  they  were 
none  the  less  a  crowd  of  "generous  ruffians."  I 
heard  Mr.  Lincoln  say  once  on  the  subject  of  his 
career  as  captain  in  this  company  and  the  discipline 
he  exercised  over  his  men,  that  to  the  first  order 
given  one  of  them  he  received  the  response,  "Go  to 
the  devil,  sir !"  Notwithstanding  the  interchange  of 
many  such  unsoldierlike  civilities  between  the  officer 
and  his  men,  a  strong  bond  of  affection  united  them 
together,  and  if  a  contest  had  arisen  over  the  con- 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  95 

flict  of  orders  between  the  United  States  authorities 
and  those  emanating  from  Captain  Lincoln  or  some 
other  Illinois  officer — as  at  one  time  was  threatened 
— we  need  not  be  told  to  which  side  the  Sanga- 
mon  county  company  to  a  man  would  have  gone. 
A  general  order  forbidding  the  discharge  of  fire 
arms  within  fifty  yards  of  the  camp  was  disobeyed 
by  Captain  Lincoln  himself.  For  this  violation  of 
rule  he  was  placed  under  arrest  and  deprived  of  his 
sword  for  a  day.  But  this  and  other  punishments 
in  no  way  humiliated  him  in  the  esteem  of  his 
men;  if  anything,  they  only  clung  the  closer,  and 
when  Clary's  Grove  friendship  asserted  itself,  it 
meant  that  firm  and  generous  attachment  found 
alone  on  the  frontier — that  bond,  closer  than  the 
affinity  of  blood,  which  becomes  stronger  as  danger 
approaches  death. 

A  soldier  of  the  Sangamon  county  company 
broke  into  the  officers'  quarters  one  night,  and  with 
the  aid  of  a  tomahawk  and  four  buckets,  obtained 
by  stealth  a  good  supply  of  wines  and  liquors,  which 
he  generously  distributed  to  his  appreciative  com 
rades.  The  next  morning  at  daybreak,  when  the 
army  began  to  move,  the  Sangamon  county  com 
pany,  much  to  their  captain's  astonishment,  were 
unfit  for  the  march.  Their  nocturnal  expedition 
had  been  too  much  for  them,  and  one  by  one  they 
fell  by  the  wayside,  until  but  a  mere  handful  re 
mained  to  keep  step  with  their  gallant  and 
astounded  captain.  Those  who  fell  behind  gradu 
ally  overcame  the  effects  of  their  carousal,  but  were 
hard  pressed  to  overtake  the  command,  and  it  was 


96  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

far  into  the  night  when  the  last  one  straggled  into 
camp.  The  investigation  which  followed  resulted 
only  in  the  captain  suffering  the  punishment  for 
the  more  guilty  men.  For  this  infraction  of  mili 
tary  law  he  was  put  under  arrest  and  made  to  carry 
a  wooden  sword  for  two  days,  "and  this  too,"  as 
one  of  his  company  has  since  assured  me,  "although 
he  was  entirely  blameless  in  the  matter." 

Among  the  few  incidents  of  Lincoln's  career  in 
the  Black  Hawk  war  that  have  found  a  place  in  his 
tory  was  his  manly  interference  to  protect  an  old 
Indian  who  strayed,  hungry  and  helpless,  into  camp 
one  day,  and  whom  the  soldiers  were  conspiring  to 
kill  on  the  ground  that  he  was  a  spy.  A  letter 
from  General  Cass,  recommending  him  for  his  past 
kind  and  faithful  services  to  the  whites,  which  the 
trembling  old  savage  drew  from  beneath  the  folds 
of  his  blanket  failed  in  any  degree  to  appease  the 
wrath  of  the  men  who  confronted  him.  They  had 
come  out  to  fight  the  treacherous  Indians,  and  here 
was  one  who  had  the  temerity  even  to  steal  into 
their  camp.  "Make  an  example  of  him,"  they  ex 
claimed.  "The  letter  is  a  forgery  and  he  is  a  spy." 
They  might  have  put  their  threats  into  execution 
had  not  the  tall  form  of  their  captain,  his  face 
"swarthy  with  resolution  and  rage,"  interposed  itself 
between  them  and  their  defenseless  victim.  Lin 
coln's  determined  look  and  demand  that  "it  must 
not  be  done"  were  enough.  They  sullenly  desisted, 
and  the  Indian,  unmolested,  continued  on  his  way. 

Lincoln's  famous  wrestling  match  with  the  re 
doubtable  Thompson,  a  soldier  from  Union  county, 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  97 

who  managed  to  throw  him  twice  in  succession, 
caused  no  diminution  in  the  admiration  and  pride 
his  men  felt  in  their  captain's  muscle  and  prowess. 
They  declared  that  unfair  advantage  had  been 
taken  of  their  champion,  that  Thompson  had 
been  guilty  of  foul  tactics,  and  that,  in  the  language 
of  the  sporting  arena,  it  was  a  "dog-fall."  Lin 
coln's  magnanimous  action,  however,  in  according 
his  opponent  credit  for  fair  dealing  in  the  face  of 
the  wide-spread  and  adverse  criticism  that  prevailed, 
only  strengthened  him  in  the  esteem  of  all.* 

At  times  the  soldiers  were  hard  pressed  for  food, 
but  by  a  combination  of  ingenuity  and  labor  in  pro 
portions  known  only  to  a  volunteer  soldier,  they 
managed  to  avoid  the  unpleasant  results  of  long- 
continued  and  unsatisfied  hunger.  "At  an  old 
Winnebago  town  called  Turtle  Village,"  narrates 
a  member  of  the  company,  "after  stretching  our 
rations  over  nearly  four  days,  one  of  our  mess,  an 
old  acquaintance  of  Lincoln,  G.  B.  Fanchier,  shot  a 
dove,  and  having  a  gill  of  flour  left  we  made  a  gallon 
and  a  half  of  delicious  soup  in  an  old  tin  bucket 
that  had  been  lost  by  Indians.  This  soup  we 
divided  among  several  messes  that  were  hungrier 


*  William  L.  Wilson,  a  survivor  of  the  war,  in  a  letter  under 
date  of  February  3,  1882,  after  detailing  reminiscences  of 
Stillman's  defeat,  says :  "I  have  during  that  time  had  much 
fun  with  the  afterwards  President  of  the  United  States, 
Abraham  Lincoln.  I  remember  one  time  of  wrestling  with  him, 
two  best  in  three,  and  ditched  him.  He  was  not  satisfied,  and 
we  tried  it  in  a  foot-race  for  a  five-dollar  bill.  I  won  the 
money,  and  'tis  spent  long  ago.  And  many  more  reminiscences 
could  I  give,  but  am  of  the  Quaker  persuasion,  and  not  much 
given  to  writing." 


98  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

than  we  were  and  our  own  mess,  by  pouring  in  each 
man's  cup  a  portion  of  the  esculent.  Once  more,  at 
another  time,  in  the  extreme  northern  part  of  Illinois, 
we  had  been  very  hungry  for  two  days,  but  suddenly 
came  upon  a  new  cabin  at  the  edge  of  the  prairie 
that  the  pioneer  sovereign  squatter  family  had  va 
cated  and  'skedaddled'  from  for  fear  of  losing  their 
scalps.  There  were  plenty  of  chickens  about  the 
cabin,  much  hungrier  than  we  ourselves  were,  if  pov 
erty  is  to  test  the  matter,  and  the  boys  heard  a  voice 
saying  'Slay  and  eat.'  They  at  once  went  to  run 
ning,  clubbing,  and  shooting  them  as  long  as  they 
could  be  found.  Whilst  the  killing  was  going  on  I 
climbed  to  the  ridge-pole  of  the  smoke-house  to  see 
distinctly  what  I  saw  obscurely  from  the  ground, 
and  behold!  the  cleanest,  sweetest  jole  I  ever  saw — 
alone,  half  hid  by  boards  and  ridge-pole,  stuck  up 
no  doubt  for  future  use.  By  this  time  many  of  the 
chickens  were  on  the  fire,  broiling,  for  want  of  grease 
or  gravy  to  fry  them  in.  Some  practical  fellow 
proposed  to  throw  in  with  the  fowls  enough  bacon 
to  convert  broiling  into  frying;  the  proposition  was 
adopted,  and  they  were  soon  fried.  We  began  to 
eat  the  tough,  dry  chickens  with  alternating  mouth- 
fuls  of  the  jole,  when  Lincoln  came  to  the  repast 
with  the  query,  'Eating  chicken,  boys  ?'  'Not 
much,  sir,'  I  responded,  for  we  had  operated  princi 
pally  on  the  jole,  it  being  sweeter  and  more  palatable 
than  the  chickens.  'It  is  much  like  eating  saddle 
bags,'  he  responded;  'but  I  think  the  stomach  can 
accomplish  much  to-day;  but  what  have  you  got 
there  with  the  skeletons,  George?'  'We  did  have 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  99 

a  sweet  jole  of  a  hog,  sir/  I  answered,  'but  you  are 
nearly  too  late  for  your  share,'  at  the  same  time 
making  room  for  him  to  approach  the  elm-bark 
dish.  He  ate  the  bacon  a  moment,  then  com 
menced  dividing  by  mouthfuls  to  the  boys  from 
other  messes,  who  came  to  'see  what  Abe  was  at/ 
and  saying  many  quaint  and  funny  things  suited  to 
the  time  and  the  jole."  The  captain,  it  will  be  seen, 
by  his  "freedom  without  familiarity"  and  his 
"courtesy  without  condescension,"  was  fast  making 
inroads  on  the  respect  of  his  rude  but  appreciative 
men.  He  was  doubtless  looking  a  long  way  ahead, 
when  both  their  friendship  and  respect  would  be  of 
avail,  for  as  the  chronicler  last  quoted  from  con 
tinues  :  "He  was  acquainted  with  everybody,  and 
he  had  determined,  as  he  told  me,  to  become  a  can 
didate  for  the  next  Legislature.  The  mess  imme 
diately  pitched  on  him  as  our  standard-bearer,  and 
he  accepted." 

The  term  for  which  the  volunteers  had  enlisted 
had  now  expired,  and  the  majority,  tiring  of  the  ser 
vice,  the  novelty  of  which  had  worn  off,  and  longing 
for  the  comforts  and  good  cheer  of  their  homes, 
refused  either  to  re-enlist  or  render  further  service. 
They  turned  their  faces  homeward,  each  with  his 
appetite  for  military  glory  well  satiated.  But  the 
war  was  not  over,  and  the  mighty  Black  Hawk  was 
still  east  of  the  Mississippi.  A  few  remained  and 
re-enlisted.  Among  them  was  Lincoln.  This  time, 
eschewing  the  responsibility  of  a  captaincy,  and  to 
avoid  the  possible  embarrassment  of  dragging  about 
camp  a  wooden  sword,  he  entered  the  company  of 


100  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

Elijah  lies  as  a  dignified  private.  It  has  pleased 
some  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  biographers  to  attribute  this 
re-enlistment  to  pure  patriotism  on  his  part  and 
a  conscientious  desire  to  serve  his  country.  From 
the  standpoint  of  sentiment  that  is  a  comfortable 
view  to  take  of  it;  but  I  have  strong  reason  to  be 
lieve  that  Mr.  Lincoln  never  entertained  such  serious 
notions  of  the  campaign.  In  fact,  I  may  say  that 
my  information  comes  from  the  best  authority  to  be 
had  in  the  matter — the  soldier  himself.  Mr. 
Lincoln  had  no  home;  he  had  cut  loose  from  his 
parents,  from  the  Hankses  and  the  Johnstons ;  he 
left  behind  him  no  anxious  wife  and  children;  and 
no  chair  before  a  warm  fireside  remained  vacant  for 
him.  "I  was  out  of  work,"  he  said  to  me  once, 
"and  there  being  no  danger  of  more  fighting,  I 
could  do  nothing  better  than  enlist  again." 

After  his  discharge  from  this  last  and  brief  period 
of  service,  along  with  the  remainder  of  the  Sanga- 
mon  county  soldiers,  he  departed  from  the  scenes 
of  recent  hostilities  for  New  Salem  again.  His 
soldier  days  had  ended,  and  he  returned  now  to 
enter  upon  a  far  different  career.  However  much 
in  later  years  he  may  have  pretended  to  ridicule 
the  disasters  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  or  the  part  he 
took  in  it,  yet  I  believe  he  was  rather  proud  of  it 
after  all.  When  Congress,  along  in  the  fifties, 
granted  him  a  land  warrant  he  was  greatly  pleased. 
He  located  it  on  some  land  in  Iowa,  and  declared 
to  me  one  day  that  he  would  die  seized  of  that 
land,  and  although  the  tract  never  yielded  him 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  101 

anything  he  never,  so  far  as  my  knowledge  extends 
parted  with  its  ownership.* 

The  return  of  the  Black  Hawk  warriors  to  New 
Salem  occurred  in  the  month  of  August,  but  a  short 
time  before  the  general  election.  A  new  Legislature 
was  to  be  chosen,  and  as  Lincoln  had  declared  to 
his  comrades  in  the  army  he  would,  and  in  obedi 
ence  to  the  effusive  declaration  of  principles  which 
he  had  issued  over  his  signature  in  March,  before 
he  went  to  the  war,  he  presented  himself  to  the 
people  of  his  newly  adopted  county  as  a  candidate 
for  the  Legislature.  It  is  not  necessary  to  enter 
into  an  account  of  the  political  conditions  in  Illinois 
at  that  time,  or  the  effect  had  on  the  same  by  those 


*  "In  regard  to  the  Bounty  Land  Warrants  issued  to  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  for  military  services  during  the  Black  Hawk  war 
as  Captain  of  4th  Illinois  Volunteers,  the  first  warrant,  No. 
52,076,  for  forty  acres  (Act  of  1850),  was  issued  to  Abraham 
Lincoln,  Captain,  etc.  on  the  16th  of  April,  1852,  and  was  lo 
cated  in  his  name  by  his  duly  appointed  attorney,  John  P. 
Davis,  at  Dubuque,  Iowa,  July  21,  1854,  on  the  north-west 
quarter  of  the  south-west  quarter  of  section  20,  in  Township 
84,  north  of  Range  39,  west,  Iowa.  A  patent  as  recorded  in 
volume  280,  page  21,  was  issued  for  this  tract  to  Abraham 
Lincoln  on  the  1st  of  June,  1855,  and  transmitted  the  26th 
October,  1855,  to  the  Register  of  delivery. 

"Under  the  Act  of  1855,  another  Land  Warrant,  No.  68,465, 
for  120  acres,  was  issued  to  Abraham  Lincoln,  Captain  Illinois 
Militia,  Black  Hawk  war,  on  the  22d  April,  1856,  and  was 
located  by  himself  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  December  27,  1859, 
on  the  east  half  of  the  north-east  quarter  and  the  north-west 
quarter  of  the  north-east  quarter  of  section  18,  in  Township 
84,  north  of  Range  39,  west;  for  which  a  patent,  as  recorded 
in  volume  468,  page  53,  was  issued  September  10,  1860,  and 
sent  October  30,  1860,  to  the  Register  for  delivery." — Letter 
Jos.  S.  Wilson  Acting  Commissioner  Land  Office,  June  27,  1865. 


102  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

who  had  in  charge  the  governmental  machinery. 
Lincoln's  course  is  all  that  interests  us.  Though 
he  may  not  have  distinctly  avowed  himself  a  Whig, 
yet,  as  one  of  his  friends  asserted,  "he  stood 
openly  on  Whig  principles."  He  favored  a  national 
bank,  a  liberal  system  of  internal  improvements, 
and  a  high  protective  tariff.  The  handbill  or  cir 
cular  alluded  to  announcing  his  candidacy  was  a 
sort  of  literary  fulmination,  but  on  account  of  its 
length  I  deem  it  unnecessary  to  insert,  the  whole  of 
it  here.  I  have  been  told  that  it  was  prepared  by 
Lincoln,  but  purged  of  its  most  glaring  grammat 
ical  errors  by  James  McNamar,  who  afterwards 
became  Lincoln's  rival  in  an  important  love 
affair.* 

The  circular  is  dated  March  9,  1832,  and  ad 
dressed  to  the  "People  of  Sangamon  County."  In 
it  he  takes  up  all  the  leading  questions  of  the  day: 
railroads,  river  navigation,  internal  improvements, 
and  usury.  He  dwells  particularly  on  the  matter 
of  public  education,  alluding  to  it  as  the  most  im 
portant  subject  before  the  people.  Realizing  his  own 
defects  arising  from  a  lack  of  school  instruction  he 
contends  that  every  man  and  his  children,  however 
poor,  should  be  permitted  to  obtain  at  least  a  mod 
erate  education,  and  thereby  be  enabled  "to  read 
the  Scriptures  and  other  works  both  of  a  moral  and 
religious  nature  for  themselves."  The  closing  par- 


*  In    a   letter    dated    May    5,    1866,    McNamar   says: 
"I   corrected   at  his   request  some  of  the   grammatical  errors 
in    his    first    address    to    the    voters    of    Sangamon    county,    his 
principal  hobby  being  the  navigation  of  the  Sangamon  river." 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  1Q3 

agraph  was  so  constructed  as  to  appeal  to  the  chiv 
alrous  sentiments  of  Clary's  Grove.  "I  was  born 
and  have  ever  remained/'  he  declares,  "in  the  most 
humble  walks  of  life.  I  have  no  wealthy  or  popu 
lar  relatives  or  friends  to  recommend  me.  My  case 
is  thrown  exclusively  upon  the  independent  voters 
of  the  county;  and  if  elected  they  will  have  con 
ferred  a  favor  upon  me  for  which  I  shall  be  unre 
mitting  in  my  labors  to  compensate.  But  if,"  he 
dryly  concludes,  "the  good  people  in  their  wisdom 
shall  see  fit  to  keep  me  in  the  background,  I  have 
been  too  familiar  with  disappointments  to  be  very 
much  chagrined." 

The  election  being  near  at  hand  only  a  few  days 
remained  for  his  canvass.  One*  who  was  with  him 
at  the  time  describing  his  appearance,  says:  "He 
wore  a  mixed  jeans  coat,  clawhammer  style,  short 
in  the  sleeves  and  bobtail — in  fact  it  was  so  short 
in  the  tail  he  could  not  sit  on  it ;  flax  and  tow- 
linen  pantaloons,  and  a  straw  hat.  I  think  he  wore 
a  vest,  but  do  not  remember  how  it  looked.  He 
wore  pot-metal  boots."  His  maiden  effort  on  the 
stump  was  a  speech  on  the  occasion  of  a  public 
sale  at  Pappsville,  a  village  eleven  miles  west  of 
Springfield.  After  the  sale  was  over  and  speech- 
making  had  begun,  a  fight — a  "general  fight,"  as 
one  of  the  bystanders  relates — ensued,  and  Lincoln, 
noticing  one  of  his  friends  about  to  succumb  to 
the  energetic  attack  of  an  infuriated  ruffian,  inter 
posed  to  prevent  it.  He  did  so  most  effectually. 


*  A.  T.  Ellis,   letter,  June  5,   1866,  MS. 


104  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

Hastily  descending  from  the  rude  platform  he 
edged  his  way  through  the  crowd,  and  seizing  the 
bully  by  the  neck  and  seat  of  his  trowsers,  threw 
him  by  means  of  his  strength  and  long  arms,  as  one 
witness  stoutly  insists,  "twelve  feet  away."  Re 
turning  to  the  stand  and  throwing  aside  his  hat  he 
inaugurated  his  campaign  with  the  following  brief 
but  juicy  declaration: 

"Fellow  Citizens,  I  presume  you  all  know  who  I 
am.  I  am  humble  Abraham  Lincoln.  I  have  been 
solicited  by  many  friends  to  become  a  candidate  for 
the  Legislature.  My  politics  are  short  and  sweet, 
like  the  old  woman's  dance.  I  am  in  favor  of  a 
national  bank.  I  am  in  favor  of  the  internal  im 
provement  system  and  a  high  protective  tariff. 
These  are  my  sentiments  and  political  principles. 
If  elected  I  shall  be  thankful;  if  not  it  will  be  all 
the  same." 

I  obtained  this  speech  from  A.  Y.  Ellis,  who  in 
1865  wrote  it  out.  Ellis  was  his  friend  and  sup 
porter,  and  took  no  little  interest  in  his  canvass. 
"I  accompanied  him,"  he  relates,  "on  one  of  his 
electioneering  trips  to  Island  Grove,  and  he  made 
a  speech  which  pleased  his  party  friends  very  well 
indeed,  though  some  of  the  Jackson  men  tried  to 
make  sport  of  it.  He  told  several  anecdotes,  and 
applied  them,  as  I  thought,  very  well.  He  also  told 
the  boys  several  stories  which  drew  them  after  him. 
I  remember  them,  but  modesty  and  my  veneration 
for  his  memory  forbid  me  to  relate  them."  His 
story-telling  propensity,  and  the  striking  fitness  of 
his  yarns — many  of  them  being  of  the  bar-room 


THE  juIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  }Q5 

order — in  illustrating  public  questions,  as  we  shall 
see  further  along  in  these  chapters,  was  really  one 
of  the  secrets  of  his  popularity  and  strength. 
The  election,  as  he  had  predicted,  resulted  in  his 
defeat — the  only  defeat,  as  he  himself  afterward 
stated,  that  he  ever  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the 
people.  But  there  was  little  defeat  in  it  after  all. 
Out  of  the  eight  unsuccessful  candidates  he  stood 
third  from  the  head  of  the  list,  receiving  657  votes. 
Five  others  received  less.  The  most  gratifying 
feature  of  it  all  was  the  hearty  support  of  his 
neighbors  at  New  Salem.  Of  the  entire  208  votes 
in  the  precinct  he  received  every  one  save  three. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  explain  the  cause  of  this 
remarkable  endorsement  of  Lincoln  by  the  voters 
in  New  Salem.  It  arose  chiefly  from  his  advocacy 
of  the  improvement  of  the  Sangamon  river.  He 
proposed  the  digging  of  a  canal  a  few  miles  east  of 
the  point  where  the  Sangamon  enters  the  Illinois 
river,  thereby  giving  the  former  two  mouths. 
This,  he  explained  to  the  farmers,  would  prevent 
the  accumulation  of  back-water  and  consequent 
overflow  of  their  rich  alluvial  bottom  lands  in  the 
spring.  It  would  also  avert  the  sickness  and  evil 
results  of  stagnant  pools,  which  formed  in  low 
places  after  the  high  waters  receded.  His  scheme 
— that  is  the  name  by  which  it  would  be  known 
to-day — commended  itself  to  the  judgment  of  his 
neighbors,  and  the  flattering  vote  he  received  shows 
how  they  endorsed  it. 

The  unsuccessful  result  of  the  election  did  not 
dampen  his  hopes  nor  sour  his  ambition.  The  ex- 


106  THE  LIFE  0*   LINCOLN. 

tensive  acquaintance,  the  practice  in  public  speak 
ing,  the  confidence  gained  with  the  people,  to 
gether  with  what  was  augmented  in  himself,  made  a 
surplus  of  capital  on  which  he  was  free  to  draw  and 
of  which  he  afterwards  frequently  availed  himself. 
The  election  being  over,  however,  he  found  himself 
without  money,  though  with  a  goodly  supply  of 
experience,  drifting  again.  His  political  experience 
had  forever  weaned  him  from  the  dull  routine  of 
common  labor.  Labor  afforded  him  no  time  for 
study  and  no  incentive  to  profitable  reflection. 
What  he  seemed  to  want  was  some  lighter  work, 
employment  in  a  store  or  tavern  where  he  could  meet 
the  village  celebrities,  exchange  views  with  strangers, 
discuss  politics,  hoise-races,  cock-fights,  and  narrate 
to  listening  loafers  his  striking  and  significant 
stories.  In  the  communities  where  he  had  lived, 
the  village  store-keeper  held  undisturbed  sway. 
He  took  the  only  newspaper,  owned  the  only  col 
lection  of  books  and  half  the  property  in  the  vil 
lage;  and  in  general  was  the  social,  and  oftentimes 
the  political  head  of  the  community.  Naturally, 
therefore  the  prominence  the  store  gave  the  mer 
chant  attracted  Lincoln.  But  there  seemed  no 
favorable  opening  for  him — clerks  in  New  Salem 
were  not  in  demand  just  then. 

My  cousins,  Rowan  and  James  Herndon,  were  at 
that  time  operating  a  store,  and  tiring  of  their 
investment  and  the  confinement  it  necessitated. 
James  sold  his  interest  to  an  idle,  shiftless  fellow 
named  William  Berry.  Soon  after  Rowan  disposed 
of  his  to  Lincoln.  That  the  latter,  who  was  with- 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  1Q/ 

out  means  and  in  search  of  work,  could  succeed  to 
the  ownership  of  even  a  half  interest  in  a  concern 
where  but  a  few  days  before  he  would  in  all  proba 
bility  gladly  have  exchanged  his  services  for  his 
board,  doubtless  seems  strange  to  the  average 
young  business  man  of  to-day.  I  once  asked 
Rowan  Herndon  what  induced  him  to  make  such 
liberal  terms  in  dealing  with  Lincoln,  whom  he  had 
known  for  so  short  a  time. 

"I  believed  he  was  thoroughly  honest,"  was  the 
reply,  "and  that  impression  was  so  strong  in  me  I 
accepted  his  note  in  payment  of  the  whole.  He 
had  no  money,  but  I  would  have  advanced  him 
still  more  had  he  asked  for  it." 

Lincoln  and  Berry  had  been  installed  in  business 
but  a  short  time  until  one  Reuben  Radford,  the  pro 
prietor  of  another  New  Salem  grocery,  who,  happen 
ing  to  incur  the  displeasure  of  the  Clary's  Grove 
boys,  decided  suddenly  one  morning,  in  the  commer 
cial  language  of  later  days,  to  "retire  from  busi 
ness."  A  visit  by  night  of  the  Clary's  Grove  con 
tingent  always  hastened  any  man's  retirement  from 
business.  The  windows  were  driven  in,  and  posses 
sion  taken  of  the  stock  without  either  ceremony  or 
inventory.  If,  by  break  of  day,  the  unfortunate 
proprietor  found  any  portion  of  his  establishment 
standing  where  he  left  it  the  night  before,  he  might 
count  himself  lucky.  In  Radford's  case,  fearing 
"his  bones  might  share  the  fate  of  his  windows," 
he  disposed  of  his  stock  and  good-will  to  William 
Greene  for  a  consideration  of  four  hundred  dollars. 
The  latter  employed  Lincoln  to  make  an  inventory 


108  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

of  the  goods,  and  when  completed,  the  new  mer 
chant,  seeing  in  it  something  of  a  speculation,  offered 
Greene  an  advance  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
on  his  investment.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  the 
stock  and  fixtures  passed  into  the  ownership  and 
control  of  the  now  enterprising  firm  of  Lincoln  & 
Berry.  They  subsequently  absorbed  the  remnant 
of  a  store  belonging  to  one  Rutledge,  which  last 
transaction  cleared  the  field  of  all  competitors  and 
left  them  in  possession  of  the  only  mercantile  con 
cern  in  New  Salem. 

To  effect  these  sales  not  a  cent  of  money  was 
required — the  buyer  giving  the  seller  his  note  and 
the  latter  assigning  it  to  someone  else  in  another 
trade.  Berry  gave  his  note  to  James  Herndon, 
Lincoln  his  to  Rowan  Herndon,  while  Lincoln  & 
Berry  as  a  firm,  executed  their  obligation  to  Greene, 
Radford,  and  Rutledge  in  succession.  Surely  Wall 
Street  at  no  time  in  its  history  has  furnished  a  brace 
of  speculators  who  in  so  brief  a  period  accomplished 
so  much  and  with  so  little  money.  A  few  weeks 
only  were  sufficient  to  render  apparent  Lincoln's  ill 
adaptation  to  the  requirements  of  a  successful  bus 
iness  career.  Once  installed  behind  the  counter 
he  gave  himself  up  to  reading  and  study,  de 
pending  for  the  practical  management  of  the  bus 
iness  on  his  partner.  A  more  unfortunate  selec 
tion  than  Berry  could  not  have  been  found;  for, 
while  Lincoln  at  one  end  of  the  store  was  dis 
pensing  political  information,  Berry  at  the  other  was 
disposing  of  the  firm's  liquors,  being  the  best  cus 
tomer  for  that  article  of  merchandise  himself.  To 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  1Q9 

put  it  more  plainly,  Lincoln's  application  to  Shake 
speare  and  Burns  was  only  equalled  by  Berry's  atten 
tion  to  spigot  and  barrel.  That  the  latter  in  the 
end  succeeded  in  squandering  a  good  portion  of 
their  joint  assets,  besides  wrecking  his  own  health,  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at.  By  the  spring  of  1833  they, 
like  their  predecessors,  were  ready  to  retire.  Two 
brothers  named  Trent  coming  along,  they  sold  to 
them  on  the  liberal  terms  then  prevalent  the  busi 
ness  and  good-will;  but  before  the  latter's  notes 
fell  due,  they  in  turn  had  failed  and  fled.  The 
death  of  Berry  following  soon  after,  released  him 
from  the  payment  of  any  notes  or  debts,  and  thus 
Lincoln  was  left  to  meet  the  unhonored  obligations 
of  the  ill-fated  partnership,  or  avoid  their  payment 
by  dividing  the  responsibility  and  pleading  the  fail 
ure  of  the  business.  That  he  assumed  all  the  lia 
bility  and  set  resolutely  to  work  to  pay  everything, 
was  strictly  in  keeping  with  his  fine  sense  of  honor 
and  justice.  He  was  a  long  time  meeting  these 
claims,  even  as  late  as  1848  sending  to  me  from 
Washington  portions  of  his  salary  as  Congressman 
to  be  applied  on  the  unpaid  remnant  of  the  Berry 
&  Lincoln  indebtedness — but  in  time  he  extin 
guished  it  all,  even  to  the  last  penny. 

Conscious  of  his  many  shortcomings  as  a  mer 
chant,  and  undaunted  by  the  unfortunate  complica 
tions  frorn  which  he  had  just  been  released,  Lincoln 
returned  to  his  books.  Rowan  Herndon,  with 
whom  he  had  been  living,  having  removed  to  the 
country,  he  became  for  the  first  time  a  sojourner  at 
the  tavern,  as  it  was  then  called — a  public-house  kept 


HO  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

by  Rutledge,  Onstatt,  and  Alley  in  succession.  "It 
was  a  small  log  house,"  he  explained  to  me  in  later 
years,  "covered  with  clapboards,  and  contained 
four  rooms."  It  was  second  only  in  importance  to 
the  store,  for  there  he  had  the  opportunity  of  meet 
ing  passing  strangers — lawyers  and  others  from  the 
county  seat,  whom  he  frequently  impressed  with 
his  knowledge  as  well  as  wit.  He  had,  doubtless, 
long  before  determined  to  prepare  himself  for  the 
law;  in  fact,  had  begun  to  read  Blackstone  while  in 
the  store,  and  now  went  at  it  with  renewed  zeal.  He 
borrowed  law-books  of  his  former  comrade  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war,  John  T.  Stuart,  who  was  practic 
ing  law  in  Springfield,  frequently  walking  there  to 
return  one  and  borrow  another.  His  determination 
to  master  any  subject  he  undertook  and  his  appli 
cation  to  study  were  of  the  most  intense  order.  On 
the  road  to  and  from  Springfield  he  would  read  and 
recite  from  the  book  he  carried  open  in  his  hand, 
and  claimed  to  have  mastered  forty  pages  of 
Blackstone  during  the  first  day  after  his  return  from 
Stuart's  office.  At  New  Salem  he  frequently  sat 
barefooted  under  the  shade  of  a  tree  near  the 
store,  poring  over  a  volume  of  Chitty  or  Blackstone, 
sometimes  lying  on  his  back,  putting  his  feet  up  the 
tree,  which  provokes  one  of  his  biographers  to  de 
note  the  latter  posture  as  one  which  might  have  been 
"unfavorable  to  mental  application,  in  the  case  of  a 
man  with  shorter  extremities." 

That  Lincoln's  attempt  to  make  a  lawyer  of  himself 
under  such  adverse  and  unpromising  circumstances 
excited  comment  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  Russell 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  \U 

Godby,  an  old  man  who  still  survives,  told  me  in 
1865,  that  he  had  often  employed  Lincoln  to  do 
farm  work  for  him,  and  was  surprised  to  find  him 
one  day  sitting  barefoot  on  the  summit  of  a  wood 
pile  and  attentively  reading  a  book.  "This  being 
an  unusual  thing  for  farm  hands  in  that  early  day 
to  do,  I  asked  him,"  relates  Godby,  "what  he  was 
reading."  'I'm  not  reading/  he  answered.  'I'm 
studying.'  'Studying  what?'  I  enquired.  'Law, 
sir/  was  the  emphatic  response.  It  was  really  too 
much  for  me,  as  I  looked  at  him  sitting  there  proud 
as  Cicero.  'Great  God  Almighty!'  I  exclaimed, 
and  passed  on." 

But  Lincoln  kept  on  at  his  studies.  Wherever  he 
was  and  whenever  he  could  do  so  the  book  was 
brought  into  use.  He  carried  it  with  him  in  his 
rambles  through  the  woods  and  his  walks  to  the 
river.  When  night  came  he  read  it  by  the  aid 
of  any  friendly  light  he  could  find.  Frequently 
he  went  down  to  the  cooper's  shop  and  kindled  a 
fire,  out  of  the  waste  material  lying  about,  and  by 
the  light  it  afforded  read  until  far  into  the  night. 

One  of  his  companions  at  this  time  relates  that, 
"while  clerking  in  the  store  or  serving  as  post 
master  he  would  apply  himself  as  opportunity  offered 
to  his  studies,  if  it  was  but  five  minutes  time — 
would  open  his  book  which  he  always  kept  at  hand, 
study  it,  reciting  to  himself;  then  entertain  the  com 
pany  present  or  wait  on  a  customer  without  ap 
parent  annoyance  from  the  interruption.  Have 
frequently  seen  him  reading  while  walking  along  the 
streets.  Occasionally  he  would  become  absorbed 


112  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

with  his  book;  would  stop  and  stand  for  a  few 
moments,  then  walk  on,  or  pass  from  one  house  to 
another  or  from  one  crowd  or  squad  of  men  to  an 
other.  He  was  apparently  seeking  amusement,  and 
with  his  thoughtful  face  and  ill-fitting  clothes  was 
the  last  man  one  would  have  singled  out.  for  a 
student.  If  the  company  he  was  in  was  unappre- 
ciative,  or  their  conversation  at  all  irksome,  he 
would  open  his  book  and  commune  with  it  for  a 
time,  until  a  happy  thought  suggested  itself  and 
then  the  book  would  again  return  to  its  wonted 
resting-place  under  his  arm.  He  never  appeared 
to  be  a  hard  student,  as  he  seemed  to  master  his 
studies  with  little  effort,  until  he  commenced  the 
study  of  the  law.  In  that  he  became  wholly  en 
grossed,  and  began  for  the  first  time  to  avoid  the 
society  of  men,  in  order  that  he  might  have  more 
time  for  study.  He  was  not  what  is  usually  termed 
a  quick-minded  man,  although  he  would  usually 
arrive  at  his  conclusions  very  readily.  He  seemed 
invariably  to  reflect  and  deliberate,  and  never  acted 
from  impulse  so  far  as  to  force  a  wrong  conclusion 
on  a  subject  of  any  moment."* 

It  was  not  long  until  he  was  able  to  draw  up 
deeds,  contracts,  mortgages,  and  other  legal  papers 
for  his  neighbors.  He  figured  conspicuously  as  a 
pettifogger  before  the  justice  of  the  peace,  but  re 
garding  it  merely  as  a  kind  of  preliminary  practice, 
seldom  made  any  charge  for  his  services.  Mean 
while  he  was  reading  not  only  law  books  but  natural 

*  R.  B.  Rutledge,  letter,  Nov.   30,  1866,  MS. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  H3 

philosophy  and  other  scientific  subjects.  He  was  a 
careful  and  patient  reader  of  newspapers,  the  San- 
gamon  Journal — published  at  Springfield — Louis- 
mile  Journal,  St.  Louis  Republican,  and  Cincinnati 
Gazette  being  usually  within  his  reach.  He  paid  a 
less  degree  of  attention  to  historical  works,  although 
he  read  Rollin  and  Gibbon  while  in  business  with 
Berry.  He  had  a  more  pronounced  fondness  for 
fictitious  literature,  and  read  with  evident  relish 
Mrs.  Lee  Hentz's  novels,  which  were  very  popular 
books  in  that  day,  and  which  were  kindly  loaned 
him  by  his  friend  A.  Y.  Ellis.  The  latter  was  a 
prosperous  and  shrewd  young  merchant  who 
had  come  up  from  Springfield  and  taken  quite  a 
fancy  to  Lincoln.  The  two  slept  together  and 
Lincoln  frequently  assisted  him  in  the  store.  He 
says  that  Lincoln  was  fond  of  short,  spicy  stories 
one  and  two  columns  long,  and  cites  as  specimens, 
"Cousin  Sally  Dillard,"  "Becky  William's  Court 
ship,"  "The  Down-Easter  and  the  Bull,"  and 
others,  the  very  titles  suggesting  the  character  of  the 
productions.  He  remembered  everything  he  read, 
and  could  afterwards  without  apparent  difficulty 
relate  it.  In  fact,  Mr.  Lincoln's  fame  as  a  story 
teller  spread  far  and  wide.  Men  quoted  his  sayings, 
repeated  his  jokes,  and  in  remote  places  he  was 
known  as  a  story-teller  before  he  was  heard  of  either 
as  lawyer  or  politician. 

It  has  been  denied  as  often  as  charged  that  Lin 
coln  narrated  vulgar  stories ;  but  the  truth  is  he 
loved  a  story  however  extravagant  or  vulgar,  if  it  had 
a  good  point.  If  it  was  merely  a  ribald  recital  and 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 


had  no  sting  in  the  end,  that  is,  if  it  exposed  no 
weakness  or  pointed  no  moral,  he  had  no  use  for  it 
either  in  conversation  or  public  speech;  but  if  it 
had  the  necessary  ingredients  of  mirth  and  moral 
no  one  could  use  it  with  more  telling  effect.  As 
a  mimic  he  was  unequalled,  and  with  his  character 
istic  gestures,  he  built  up  a  reputation  for  story-tell 
ing  —  although  fully  as  many  of  his  narratives  were 
borrowed  as  original  —  which  followed  him  through 
life.  One  who  listened  to  his  early  stories  in  New 
Salem  says:  "His  laugh  was  striking.  Such  awk 
ward  gestures  belonged  to  no  other  man.  They 
attracted  universal  attention,  from  the  old  sedate 
down  to  the  schoolboy.  Then  in  a  few  moments 
he  was  as  calm  and  thoughtful  as  a  judge  on  the 
bench,  and  as  ready  to  give  advice  on  the  most 
important  matters;  fun  and  gravity  grew  on  him 
alike." 

Lincoln's  lack  of  musical  adaptation  has  deprived 
us  of  many  a  song.  For  a  ballad  or  doggerel  he 
sometimes  had  quite  a  liking.  He  could  memorize 
or  recite  the  lines  but  some  one  else  had  to  do  the 
singing.  Listen  to  one  in  which  he  shows  "How 
St.  Patrick  Came  to  be  Born  on  the  i?th  of  March." 
Who  composed  it  or  where  Lincoln  obtained  it  I 
have  never  been  able  to  learn.  Ellis  says  he  often 
inflicted  it  on  the  crowds  who  collected  in  his  store 
of  winter  evenings.  Here  it  is: 

"The  first  factional  flght  in  old  Ireland,  they  say, 
Was  all  on  account  of  Saint  Patrick's  birthday, 
It  was  somewhere  about  midnight  without  any  doubt, 
And  certain  it  is,  it  made  a  great  rout 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  H5 

On  the  eighth  day  of  March,   as  some   people   say, 
St.  Patrick  at  midnight  he  first  saw  the  day ; 
While  others  assert  twas  the  ninth  he  was  born — 
'Twas  all  a  mistake — between  midnight  and  morn. 

Some  blamed  the   baby,   some  blamed   the   clock ; 
Some  blamed  the  doctor,  some  the  crowing  cock. 
With  all  these  close  questions  sure  no  one  could  know, 
Whether  the  babe  was  too  fast  or  the  clock  was  too  slow. 

Some  fought  for  the  eighth,  for  the  ninth  some  would  die ; 
He  who  wouldn't  see  right  would  have  a  black  eye. 
At  length  these  two  factions  so  positive  grew, 
They  each  had  a  birthday,  and  Pat  he  had  two. 

Till  Father  Mulcahay  who  showed  them  their  sins, 
He  said  none  could  have  two  birthdays  but  as  twins. 
'Now  Boys,  don't  be  fighting  for  the  eight  or  the  nine 
Don't  quarrel  so  always,  now  why  not  combine.' 

Combine  eight  with  nine.     It  is  the  mark ; 

Let  that  be  the  birthday.     Amen!  said  the  clerk. 

So  all  got  blind  drunk,  which  completed  their  bliss, 

And  they've  kept  up  the  practice  from  that  day  to  this."* 

As  a  salesman,  Lincoln  was  lamentably  deficient. 
He  was  too  prone  to  lead  off  into  a  discussion  of 
politics  or  morality,  leaving  someone  else  to  finish 
the  trade  which  he  had  undertaken.  One  of  his 
employers  says:  "He  always  disliked  to  wait  on 
the  ladies,  preferring,  he  said,  to  wait  on  the  men 
and  boys.  I  also  remember  he  used  to  sleep  on  the 
store  counter  when  they  had  too  much  company  at 
the  tavern.  He  wore  flax  and  tow  linen  pantaloons 
— I  thought  about  five  inches  too  short  in  the  legs 
— and  frequently  had  but  one  suspender,  no  vest  or 


*From  MS.,  furnished  by  Ellis  in  August,  1866. 


116  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

coat.  He  wore  a  calico  shirt,  such  as  he  had  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war;  coarse  brogans,  tan  color;  blue 
yarn  socks  and  straw  hat,  old  style,  and  without  a 
band."  His  friend  Ellis  attributed  his  shyness  in 
the  presence  of  the  ladies  to  the  consciousness  of 
his  awkward  appearance  and  the  unpretentious  con 
dition  of  his  wearing  apparel.  It  was  more  than 
likely  due  to  pure  bashfulness.  "On  one  occasion," 
continues  Ellis,  "while  we  boarded  at  the  tavern, 
there  came  a  family  consisting  of  an  old  lady,  her 
son,  and  three  stylish  daughters,  from  the  State  of 
Virginia,  who  stopped  there  for  two  or  three  weeks, 
and  during  their  stay  I  do  not  remember  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  ever  appearing  at  the  same  table  with 
them." 

As  a  society  man,  Lincoln  was  singularly  defi 
cient  while  he  lived  in  New  Salem,  and  even  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  never  indulged  in 
gossip  about  the  ladies,  nor  aided  in  the  circulation 
of  village  scandal.  For  woman  he  had  a  high  re 
gard,  and  I  can  testify  that  during  my  long  acquaint 
ance  with  him  his  conversation  was  free  from 
injurious  comment  in  individual  cases — freer  from 
unpleasant  allusions  than  that  of  most  men.  At 
one  time  Major  Hill  charged  him  with  making 
defamatory  remarks  regarding  his  wife.  Hill  was 
insulting  in  his  language  to  Lincoln  who  never  lost 
his  temper.  When  he  saw  a  chance  to  edge  a  word 
in,  Lincoln  denied  emphatically  using  the  language 
or  anything  like  that  attributed  to  him.  He  enter 
tained,  he  insisted,  a  high  regard  for  Mrs.  Hill,  and 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  \\J 

the  only  thing  he  knew  to  her  discredit  was  the  fact 
that  she  was  Major  Hill's  wife. 

At  this  time  in  its  brief  history  New  Salem  was 
what  in  the  parlance  of  large  cities  would  be  called 
a  fast  place;  and  it  was  difficult  for  a  young  man  of 
ordinary  moral  courage  to  resist  the  temptations 
that  beset  him  on  every  hand.  It  remains  a  matter 
of  surprise  that  Lincoln  was  able  to  retain  his  pop 
ularity  with  the  hosts  of  young  men  of  his  own  age, 
and  still  not  join  them  in  their  drinking  bouts  and 
carousals.  "I  am  certain,"  contends  one  of  his 
companions,  "that  he  never  drank  any  intoxicating 
liquors — he  did  not  even  in  those  days  smoke  or 
chew  tobacco."  In  sports  requiring  either  muscle 
or  skill  he  took  no  little  interest.  He  indulged  in 
all  the  games  of  the  day,  even  to  a  horse-race  or 
cock-fight.  At  one  eventful  chicken  fight,  where  a 
fee  of  twenty-five  cents  for  the  entrance  of  each 
fowl  was  assessed,  one  Bap.  McNabb  brought  a 
little  red  rooster,  whose  fighting  qualities  had  been 
well  advertised  for  days  in  advance  by  his  owner. 
Much  interest  was  naturally  taken  in  the  contest. 
As  the  outcome  of  these  contests  was  generally  a 
quarrel,  in  which  each  man,  charging  foul  play, 
seized  his  victim,  they  chose  Lincoln  umpire,  rely 
ing  not  only  on  his  fairness  but  his  ability  to  en 
force  his  decisions.  In  relating  what  followed  I 
cannot  improve  on  the  description  furnished  me  in 
February,  1865,  by  one*  who  was  present. 

"They  formed  a  ring,  and  the  time  having  arrived, 


A.  Y.  Ellis,  MS. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 


Lincoln,  with  one  hand  on  each  hip  and  in  a  squat 
ting  position,  cried,  'Ready/  Into  the  ring  they 
toss  their  fowls,  Bap's  red  rooster  along  with  the 
rest.  But  no  sooner  had  the  little  beauty  discov 
ered  what  was  to  be  done  than  he  dropped  his  tail 
and  ran.  The  crowd  cheered,  while  Bap.  in  disap 
pointment  picked  him  up  and  started  away,  losing 
his  quarter  and  carrying  home  his  dishonored  fowl. 
Once  arrived  at  the  latter  place  he  threw  his  pet 
down  with  a  feeling  of  indignation  and  chagrin. 
The  little  fellow,  out  of  sight  of  all  rivals,  mounted 
a  wood  pile  and  proudly  flirting  out  his  feathers, 
crowed  with  all  his  might.  Bap.  looked  on  in  dis 
gust.  'Yes,  you  little  cuss/  he  exclaimed,  irrever 
ently,  'you're  great  on  dress  parade,  but  not  worth  a 
d  —  n  in  a  fight/  "  It  is  said  —  how  truthfully  I  do 
not  know  —  that  at  some  period  during  the  late  war 
Mr.  Lincoln  in  conversation  with  a  friend  likened 
McClellan  to  Bap.  McNabb's  rooster.  So  much 
for  New  Salem  sports. 

While  wooing  that  jealous-eyed  mistress,  the 
law,  Lincoln  was  earning  no  money.  As  another 
has  said,  "he  had  a  running  board  bill  to  pay,  and 
nothing  to  pay  it  with."  By  dint  of  sundry  jobs 
here  and  there  helping  Ellis  in  his  store  to-day, 
splitting  rails  for  James  Short  to-morrow,  he  man 
aged  to  keep  his  head  above  the  waves.  His 
friends  were  firm  —  no  young  man  ever  had  truer  or 
better  ones  —  but  he  was  of  too  independent  a  turn 
to  appeal  to  them  or  complain  of  his  condition. 
He  never  at  any  time  abandoned  the  idea  of  be 
coming  a  lawyer.  That  was  always  a  spirit  which 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  H9 

beckoned  him  on  in  the  darkest  hour  of  his  adver 
sity.  Someone,  probably  a  Democrat  who  voted 
for  him  in  the  preceding  fall,  recommended  him 
to  John  Calhoun,  then  surveyor  of  the  county,  as 
suitable  material  for  an  assistant.  This  office,  in  view 
of  the  prevailing  speculation  in  lands  and  town  lots, 
was  the  most  important  and  possibly  the  most  profi 
table  in  the  county.  Calhoun,  the  incumbent,  was 
a  Yankee  and  a  typical  gentleman.  He  was  brave, 
intellectual,  self-possessed,  and  cultivated.  He  had 
been  educated  for  the  law,  but  never  practiced 
much  after  coming  to  Illinois —  taught  school  in 
preference.  As  an  instructor  he  was  the  popular 
one  of  his  day  and  age.  I  attended  the  school  he 
taught  when  I  was  a  boy,  in  Springfield,  and  was  in 
later  years  clerk  of  the  city  under  his  administra 
tion  as  Mayor.  Lincoln,  I  know,  respected  and  ad 
mired  him.  After  Lincoln's  removal  to  Springfield 
they  frequently  held  joint  debates  on  political  ques 
tions.  At  one  time  I  remember  they  discussed  the 
tariff  question  in  the  court  house,  using  up  the 
better  part  of  two  evenings  in  the  contest.  Cal 
houn  was  polite,  affable,  and  an  honest  debater, 
never  dodging  any  question.  This  made  him  a 
formidable  antagonist  in  argumentative  controversy. 
I  have  heard  Lincoln  say  that  Calhoun  gave  him 
more  trouble  in  his  debates  than  Douglas  ever  did, 
because  he  was  more  captivating  in  his  manner  and 
a  more  learned  man  than  Douglas. 

But  to  resume.  The  recommendation  of  Lin 
coln's  friends  was  sufficient  to  induce  Calhoun  to 
appoint  him  one  of  his  deputies.  At  the  time  he 


120  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

received  notice  of  his  selection  by  Calhoun,  Lincoln 
was  out  in  the  woods  near  New  Salem  splitting 
rails.  A  friend  named  Pollard  Simmons,  who  still 
survives  and  has  related  the  incident  to  me,  walked 
out  to  the  point  where  he  was  working  with  the 
cheering  news.  Lincoln,  being  a  Whig  and  know 
ing  Calhoun's  pronounced  Democratic  tendencies, 
enquired  if  he  had  to  sacrifice  any  principle  in  ac 
cepting  the  position.  "If  I  can  be  perfectly  free 
in  my  political  action  I  will  take  the  office,"  he 
remarked;  "but  if  my  sentiments  or  even  expres 
sion  of  them  is  to  be  abridged  in  any  way  I  would 
not  have  it  or  any  other  office. "  A  young  man  ham 
pered  by  poverty  as  Lincoln  was  at  this  time,  who 
had  the  courage  to  deal  with  public  office  as  he  did, 
was  certainly  made  of  unalloyed  material.  No 
wonder  in  after  years  when  he  was  defeated  by 
Douglas  he  could  inspire  his  friends  by  the  admoni 
tion  not  to  "give  up  after  one  nor  one  hundred 
defeats." 

After  taking  service  with  Calhoun,  Lincoln  found 
he  had  but  little  if  any  practical  knowledge  of  sur 
veying — all  that  had  to  be  learned.  Calhoun  fur 
nished  him  with  books,  directing  him  to  study  them 
till  he  felt  competent  to  begin  work.  He  again 
invoked  the  assistance  of  Mentor  Graham,  the 
schoolmaster,  who  aided  him  in  his  efforts  at  calcu 
lating  the  results  of  surveys  and  measurements. 
Lincoln  was  not  a  mathematician  by  nature,  and 
hence,  with  him,  learning  meant  labor.  Graham's 
daughter  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  her 
father  and  Lincoln  frequently  sat  up  till  midnight 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  \2\ 

engrossed  in  calculations,  and  only  ceased  when 
her  mother  drove  them  out  after  a  fresh  sup 
ply  of  wood  for  the  fire.  Meanwhile  Lincoln  was 
keeping  up  his  law  studies.  "He  studied  to  see 
the  subject-matter  clearly,"  says  Graham,  "and  to 
express  it  truly  and  strongly.  I  have  known  him 
to  study  for  hours  the  best  way  of  three  to  express 
an  idea."  He  was  so  studious  and  absorbed  in  his 
application  at  one  time,  that  his  friends,  according 
to  a  statement  made  by  one*  of  them,  "noticed 
that  he  was  so  emaciated  we  feared  he  might 
bring  on  mental  derangement."  It  was  not 
long,  however,  until  he  had  mastered  surveying 
as  a  study,  and  then  he  was  sent  out  to  work  by  his 
superior — Calhoun.  It  has  never  been  denied  that 
his  surveys  were  exact  and  just,  and  he  was  so  mani 
festly  fair  that  he  was  often  chosen  to  settle  dis 
puted  questions  of  corners  and  measurements.  It 
is  worthy  of  note  here  that,  with  all  his  knowledge 
of  lands  and  their  value  and  the  opportunities  that 
lay  open  to  him  for  profitable  and  safe  investments, 
he  never  made  use  of  the  information  thus  obtained 
from  official  sources,  nor  made  a  single  speculation 
on  his  own  account.  The  high  value  he  placed  on 
public  office  was  more  fully  emphasized  when  as 
President,  in  answer  to  a  delegation  of  gentlemen 
who  called  to  press  the  claims  of  one  of  his  warm 
personal  friends  for  an  important  office,  he  declined 
on  the  ground  that  "he  did  not  regard  it  as  just  to 


Henry  McHenry,  MS.,  Oct.  5,  1865. 


122  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

the  public  to  pay  the  debts  of  personal   friendship 
with  offices  that  belonged  to  the  people." 

As  surveyor  under  Calhoun  he  was  sent  for  at 
one  time  to  decide  or  locate  a  disputed  corner  for 
some  persons  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county. 
Among  others  interested  was  his  friend  and  admirer 
Henry  McHenry.  "After  a  good  deal  of  disputing 
we  agreed,"  says  the  latter,  "to  send  for  Lincoln 
and  to  abide  by  his  decision.  He  came  with  com 
pass,  flag-staff,  and  chain.  He  stopped  with  me 
three  or  four  days  and  surveyed  the  whole  section. 
When  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  disputed  corner  by 
actual  survey  he  called  for  his  staff  and  driving  it 
in  the  ground  at  a  certain  spot  said,  'Gentlemen, 
here  is  the  corner.'  We  dug  down  into  the  ground 
at  the  point  indicated  and,  lo!  there  we  found 
about  six  or  eight  inches  of  the  original  stake 
sharpened  at  the  end,  and  beneath  which  was  the 
usual  piece  of  charcoal  placed  there  by  Rector  the 
surveyor  who  laid  the  ground  off  for  the  govern 
ment  many  years  before."  So  fairly  and  well  had 
the  young  surveyor  done  his  duty  that  all  parties 
went  away  completely  satisfied.  As  late  as  1865  the 
corner  was  preserved  by  a  mark  and  pointed  out  to 
strangers  as  an  evidence  of  the  young  surveyor's 
skill.  Russell  Godby,  mentioned  in  the  earlier 
pages  of  this  chapter,  presented  to  me  a  certificate  of 
survey  given  to  him  by  Lincoln.  It  was  written  Jan 
uary  14,  1834,  and  is  signed  "J.  Calhoun,  S.  S.  C,  by 
A.  Lincoln."  "The  survey  was  made  by  Lincoln," 
says  Godby,  "and  I  gave  him  as  pay  for  his  work 
two  buckskins,  which  Hannah  Armstrong  'foxed' 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  123 

on  his  pants  so  that    the    briers    would    not    wear 
them  out." 

Honors  were  now  crowding  thick  and  fast  upon 
him.  On  May  7,  1833,  he  was  commissioned  post 
master  at  New  Salem,  the  first  office  he  ever  held 
under  the  Federal  Government.  The  salary  was 
proportionate  to  the  amount  of  business  done. 
Whether  Lincoln  solicited  the  appointment  himself, 
or  whether  it  was  given  him  without  the  asking,  I 
do  not  know;  but  certain  it  is  his  "administration" 
gave  general  satisfaction.  The  mail  arrived  once  a 
week,  and  we  can  imagine  the  extent  of  time  and 
labor  required  to  distribute  it,  when  it  is  known  that 
"he  carried  the  office  around  in  his  hat."  Mr. 
Lincoln  used  to  tell  me  that  when  he  had  a  call  to 
go  to  the  country  to  survey  a  piece  of  land,  he 
placed  inside  his  hat  all  the  letters  belonging  to 
people  in  the  neighborhood  and  distributed  them 
along  the  way.  He  made  head-quarters  in  Samuel 
Hill's  store,  and  there  the  office  may  be  said  to  have 
been  located,  as  Hill  himself  had  been  postmaster 
before  Lincoln.  Between  the  revenue  derived  from 
the  post-office  and  his  income  from  land  surveys 
Lincoln  was,  in  the  expressive  language  of  the  day, 
"getting  along  well  enough."  Suddenly,  however, 
smooth  sailing  ceased  and  all  his  prospects  of  easy 
times  ahead  were  again  brought  to  naught.  One 
Van  Bergen  brought  suit  against  him  and  obtained 
judgment  on  one  of  the  notes  given  in  payment  of 
the  store  debt — a  relic  of  the  unfortunate  partner 
ship  with  Berry.  His  personal  effects  were  levied 
on  and  sold,  his  horse  and  surveying  instruments 


124  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

going  with  the  rest.  But  again  a  friend,  one  James 
Short,  whose  favor  he  had  gained,  interposed; 
bought  in  the  property  and  restored  it  to  the  hope 
less  young  surveyor.  It  will  be  seen  now  what 
kind  of  friends  Lincoln  was  gaining.  The  bonds 
he  was  thus  making  were  destined  to  stand  the 
severest  of  tests.  His  case  never  became  so  des 
perate  but  a  friend  came  out  of  the  darkness  to 
relieve  him. 

There  was  always  something  about  Lincoln  in 
his  earlier  days  to  encourage  his  friends.  He  was 
not  only  grateful  for  whatever  aid  was  given  him, 
but  he  always  longed  to  help  some  one  else.  He 
had  an  unfailing  disposition  to  succor  the  weak  and 
the  unfortunate,  and  was  always,  in  his  sympathy, 
struggling  with  the  under  dog  in  the  fight.  He 
was  once  overtaken  when  about  fourteen  miles  from 
Springfield  by  one  Chandler,  whom  he  knew  slightly, 
and  who,  having  already  driven  twenty  miles,  was 
hastening  to  reach  the  land  office  before  a  certain 
other  man  who  had  gone  by  a  different  road. 
Chandler  explained  to  Lincoln  that  he  was  poor 
and  wanted  to  enter  a  small  tract  of  land  which 
adjoined  his,  that  another  man  of  considerable 
wealth  had  also  determined  to  have  it,  and  had 
mounted  his  horse  and  started  for  Springfield. 
"Meanwhile,  my  neighbors,"  continued  Chandler, 
"collected  and  advanced  me  the  necessary  one  hun 
dred  dollars,  and  now,  if  I  can  reach  the  land  office 
first,  I  can  secure  the  land."  Lincoln  noticed  that 
Chandler's  horse  was  too  much  fatigued  to  stand 
fourteen  miles  more  of  a  forced  march,  and  he  there- 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  125 

fore  dismounted  from  his  own  and  turned  him 
over  to  Chandler,  saying,  "Here's  my  horse — he  is 
fresh  and  full  of  grit;  there's  no  time  to  be  lost; 
mount  him  and  put  him  through.  When  you  reach 
Springfield  put  him  up  at  Herndon's  tavern  and  I'll 
call  and  get  him."  Thus  encouraged  Chandler 
moved  on,  leaving  Lincoln  to  follow  on  the  jaded 
animal.  He  reached  Springfield  over  an  hour  in 
advance  of  his  rival  and  thus  secured  the  coveted 
tract  of  land.  By  nightfall  Lincoln  rode  leisurely 
into  town  and  was  met  by  the  now  radiant  Chan 
dler,  jubilant* over  his  success.  Between  the  two  a 
friendship  sprang  up  which  all  the  political  discords 
of  twenty-five  years  never  shattered  nor  strained. 

About  this  time  Lincoln  began  to  extend  some 
what  his  system — if  he  really  ever  had  a  system  in 
anything — of  reading.  He  now  began  to  read  the 
writings  of  Paine,  Volney,  and  Voltaire.  A  good 
deal  of  religious  skepticism  existed  at  New  Salem, 
and  there  were  frequent  discussions  at  the  store  and 
tavern,  in  which  Lincoln  took  part.  What  views  he 
entertained  on  religious  questions  will  be  more 
fully  detailed  in  another  place. 

No  little  of  Lincoln's  influence  with  the  men  of 
New  Salem  can  be  attributed  to  his  extraordinary 
feats  of  strength.  By  an  arrangement  of  ropes  and 
straps,  harnessed  about  his  hips,  he  was  enabled  one 
day  at  the  mill  to  astonish  a  crowd  of  village  celeb 
rities  by  lifting  a  box  of  stones  weighing  near  a 
thousand  pounds.  There  is  no  fiction  either,  as  sug 
gested  by  some  of  his  biographers,  in  the  story  that 
he  lifted  a  barrel  of  whiskey  from  the  ground  and 


126  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

drank  from  the  bung;  but  in  performing  this  latter 
almost  incredible  feat  he  did  not  stand  erect  and 
elevate  the  barrel,  but  squatted  down  and  lifted  it 
to  his  knees,  rolling  it  over  until  his  mouth  came 
opposite  the  bung.  His  strength,  kindness  of  man 
ner,  love  of  fairness  and  justice,  his  original  and 
unique  sayings,  his  power  of  mimicry,  his  perse 
verance — all  made  a  combination  rarely  met  with 
on  the  frontier.  Nature  had  burnt  him  in  her 
holy  fire,  and  stamped  him  with  the  seal  of  her 
greatness. 

In  the  summer  of  1834  Lincoln  determined  to 
make  another  race  for  the  legislature;  but  this 
time  he  ran  distinctly  as  a  Whig.  He  made,  it  is 
presumed,  the  usual  number  of  speeches,  but  as  the 
art  of  newspaper  reporting  had  not  reached  the 
perfection  it  has  since  attained,  we  are  not  favored 
with  even  the  substance  of  his  efforts  on  the  stump. 
I  have  Lincoln's  word  for  it  that  it  was  more  of  a 
hand-shaking  campaign  than  anything  else.  Rowan 
Herndon  relates  that  he  came  to  his  house  during 
harvest,  when  there  were  a  large  number  of  men  at 
work  in  the  field.  He  was  introduced  to  them,  but 
they  did  not  hesitate  to  apprize  him  of  their  esteem 
for  a  man  who  could  labor;  and  their  admiration  for 
a  candidate  for  office  was  gauged  somewhat  by  the 
amount  of  work  he  could  do.  Learning  these  facts, 
Lincoln  took  hold  of  a  cradle,  and  handling  it  with 
ease  and  remarkable  speed,  soon  distanced  those 
who  undertook  to  follow  him.  The  men  were  satis 
fied,  and  it  is  presumed  he  lost  no  votes  in  that 
crowd.  One  Dr.  Barrett,  seeing  Lincoln,  enquired 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  \27 

of  the  latter's  friends:  "Can't  the  party  raise  any 
better  material  than  that?"  but  after  hearing  his 
speech  the  doctor's  opinion  was  considerably  al 
tered,  for  he  declared  that  Lincoln  filled  him  with 
amazement;  "that  he  knew  more  than  all  of  the 
other  candidates  put  together."  The  election  took 
place  in  August.  Lincoln's  friend,  John  T.  Stuart, 
was  also  a  candidate  on  the  legislative  ticket.  He 
encouraged  Lincoln's  canvas  in  every  way,  even  at 
the  risk  of  sacrificing  his  own  chances.  But  both 
were  elected.  The  four  successful  candidates  were 
Dawson,  who  received  1390  votes,*  Lincoln  1376, 
Carpenter  1170,  and  Stuart  1164. 

At  last  Lincoln  had  been  elected  to  the  legislature, 
and  by  a  very  flattering  majority.  In  order,  as  he 
himself  said,  "to  make  a  decent  appearance  in  the 
legislature,"  he  had  to  borrow  money  to  buy  suit 
able  clothing  and  to  maintain  his  new  dignity. 
Coleman  Smoot,  one  of  his  friends,  advanced  him 
"two  hundred  dollars,  which  he  returned,  relates 
the  generous  Smoot,  according  to  promise."  Here 
we  leave  our  rising  young  statesman,  to  take  up 
a  different  but  very  interesting  period  of  his  his 
tory. 


*  In  all  former  biographies  of  Lincoln,  including  the  Nicolay 
and  Hay  history  in  the  "Century  Magazine,"  Dawson's  vote  is 
fixed  at  1370,  and  Lincoln  is  thereby  made  to  lead  the  ticket ;  but 
in  the  second  issue  of  the  Sangamon  Journal  after  the  election 
— August  16,  1834 — the  count  is  corrected,  and  Dawson's  vote 
is  increased  to  1390.  Dr.  A.  W.  French,  of  Springfield,  is  the 
possessor  of  an  official  return  of  the  votes  cast 'at  the  New  Salem 
precinct,  made  out  in  the  handwriting  of  Lincoln,  which  also 
gives  Dawson's  vote  at  1390. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Since  the  days  when  in  Indiana  Lincoln  sat  on 
the  river's  bank  with  little  Kate  Roby,  dangling  his 
bare  feet  in  the  water,  there  has  been  no  hint  in 
these  pages  of  tender  relations  with  any  one  of  the 
opposite  sex.  Now  we  approach  in  timely  order 
the  "grand  passion"  of  his  life — a  romance  of 
much  reality,  the  memory  of  which  threw  a  melan 
choly  shade  over  the  remainder  of  his  days.  For 
the  first  time  our  hero  falls  in  love.  The  courtship 
with  Anne  Rutledge  and  her  untimely  death  form 
the  saddest  page  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  history.  I  am 
aware  that  most  of  his  biographers  have  taken  issue 
with  me  on  this  phase  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  life. 
Arnold  says:  "The  picture  has  been  somewhat  too 
highly  colored,  and  the  story  made  rather  too 
tragic."  Dr.  Holland  and  others  omit  the  subject 
altogether,  while  the  most  recent  biography — the 
admirable  history  by  my  friends  Nicolay  and  Hay 
— devotes  but  five  lines  to  it.  I  knew  Miss  Rut- 
ledge  myself,  as  well  as  her  father  and  other  mem 
bers  of  the  family,  and  have  been  personally  ac 
quainted  with  every  one  of  the  score  or  more  of 
witnesses  whom  I  at  one  time  or  another  inter 
viewed  on  this  delicate  subject.  From  my  own 
knowledge  and  the  information  thus  obtained,  I 
therefore  repeat,  that  the  memory  of  Anne  Rut- 

128 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  129 

ledge    was    the    saddest    chapter    in   Mr.    Lincoln's 
life.* 

James  Rutledge,  the  father  of  this  interesting 
girl,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  New  Salem,  having 
come  there  from  Kentucky  in  1829.  He  was  born 
in  South  Carolina  and  belonged  to  the  noted  Rut- 
ledge  family  of  that  State.  I  knew  him  as  early  as 
1833,  and  have  often  shared  the  hospitality  of  his 
home.  My  father  was  a  politician  and  an  extensive 
stock  dealer  in  that  early  day,  and  he  and  Mr.  Rut- 
ledge  were  great  friends.  The  latter  was  a  man  of 
no  little  force  of  character;  those  who  knew  him 
best  loved  him  the  most.  Like  other  Southern  peo 
ple  he  was  warm, — almost  to  impulsiveness, — social, 
and  generous.  His  hospitality,  an  inherited  qual 
ity  that  flashed  with  him  before  he  was  born, 
developed  by  contact  with  the  brave  and  broad- 
minded  people  whom  he  met  in  Illinois.  Besides 
his  business  interests  in  the  store  and  mill  at  New 
Salem,  he  kept  the  tavern  where  Lincoln  came  to 
board  in  1833.  His  family,  besides  himself  and 
wife,  consisted  of  nine  children,  three  of  whom  were 
born  in  Kentucky,  the  remaining  six  in  Illinois. 
Anne,  the  subject  of  this  chapter,  was  the  third 
child.  She  was  a  beautiful  girl,  and  by  her  win 
ning  ways  attached  people  to  her  so  firmly  that  she 
soon  became  the  most  popular  young  lady  in  the 
village.  She  was  quick  of  apprehension,  industri- 


*  In  a  letter  dated  Dec.  4,  1866,  one  of  Miss  Rutledge's  broth 
ers  writes :  "When  he  first  came  to  New  Salem  and  up  to  the  day 
of  Anne's  death  Mr.  Lincoln  was  all  life  and  animation.  He 
seemed  to  see  the  bright  side  of  every  picture." 


130  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

ous,  and  an  excellent  housekeeper.  She  had  a 
moderate  education,  but  was  not  cultured  except 
by  contrast  with  those  around  her.  One  of  her 
strong  points  was  her  womanly  skill.  She  was  dex 
terous  in  the  use  of  the  needle — an  accomplishment 
of  far  more  value  in  that  day  than  all  the  acquire 
ments  of  art  in  china  painting  and  hammered  brass 
are  in  this — and  her  needle-work  was  the  wonder 
of  the  day.  At  every  "quilting"  Anne  was  a 
necessary  adjunct,  and  her  nimble  fingers  drove  the 
needle  more  swiftly  than  anyone's  else.  Lincoln 
used  to  escort  her  to  and  from  these  quilting-bees, 
and  on  one  occasion  even  went  into  the  house — 
where  men  were  considered  out  of  place — and  sat 
by  her  side  as  she  worked  on  the  quilt. 

He  whispered  into  her  ear  the  old,  old  story. 
Her  heart  throbbed  and  her  soul  was  thrilled  with 
a  joy  as  old  as  the  world  itself.  Her  fingers 
momentarily  lost  their  skill.  In  her  ecstasy  she 
made  such  irregular  and  uneven  stitches  that  the 
older  and  more  sedate  women  noted  it,  and  the 
owner  of  the  quilt,  until  a  few  years  ago  still  re 
taining  it  as  a  precious  souvenir,  pointed  out  the 
memorable  stitches  to  such  persons  as  visited  her. 

L.  M.  Greene,  who  remembered  Anne  well,  says, 
"She  was  amiable  and  of  exquisite  beauty,  and  her 
intellect  was  quick,  deep,  and  philosophic  as  well  as 
brilliant.  She  had  a  heart  as  gentle  and  kind  as 
an  angel,  and  full  of  love  and  sympathy.  Her  sweet 
and  angelic  nature  was  noted  by  every  one  who  met 
her.  She  was  a  woman  worthy  of  Lincoln's  love." 
This  is  a  little  overstated  as  to  beauty — Greene 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  131 

writes  as  if  he  too  had  been  in  love  with  her — but 
is  otherwise  nearly  correct. 

"Miss  Rutledge,"  says  a  lady*  who  knew  her, 
"had  auburn  hair,  blue  eyes,  fair  complexion. 
She  was  pretty,  slightly  slender,  but  in  everything 
a  good  hearted  young  woman.  She  was  about  five 
feet  two  inches  high,  and  weighed  in  the  neighbor 
hood  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  pounds.  She  was 
beloved  by  all  who  knew  her.  She  died  as  it  were 
of  grief.  In  speaking  of  her  death  and  her  grave 
Lincoln  once  said  to  me.  'My  heart  lies  buried 
there/  " 

Before  narrating  the  details  of  Lincoln's  courtship 
with  Miss  Rutledge,  it  is  proper  to  mention  briefly 
a  few  facts  that  occurred  before  their  attachment  be 
gan. 

About  the  same  time  that  Lincoln  drifted  into 
New  Salem  there  came  in  from  the  Eastern  States 
John  McNeil,  a  young  man  of  enterprise  and  great 
activity,  seeking  his  fortune  in  the  West.  He  went 
to  work  at  once,  and  within  a  short  time  had  accu 
mulated  by  commendable  effort  a  comfortable 
amount  of  property.  Within  three  years  he  owned 
a  farm,  and  a  half  interest  with  Samuel  Hill  in  the 
leading  store.  He  had  good  capacity  for  business, 
and  was  a  valuable  addition  to  that  already  preten 
tious  village — New  Salem.  It  was  while  living  at 
James  Cameron's  house  that  this  plucky  and  indus 
trious  young  business  man  first  saw  Anne  Rut- 
ledge.  At  that  time  she  was  attending  the  school 

*  Mrs.   Hardin  Bale. 


132  THE  L1FE  OF  LINCOLN. 

of  Mentor  Graham,  a  pedagogue  of  local  renown 
whose  name  is  frequently  met  with  in  these  pages, 
and  who  flourished  in  and  around  New  Salem  from 
1829  to  1860.  McNeil  fell  deeply  in  love  with  the 
school-girl — she  was  then  only  seventeen — and  paid 
her  the  usual  unremitting  attentions  young  lovers 
of  that  age  had  done  before  him  and  are  still  doing 
today.  His  partner  in  the  store,  Samuel  Hill,  a 
young  man  of  equal  force  of  character,  who  after 
wards  amassed  a  comfortable  fortune,  and  also 
wielded  no  little  influence  as  a  local  politician,  laid 
siege  to  the  heart  of  this  same  attractive  maiden, 
but  he  yielded  up  the  contest  early.  Anne  rejected 
him,  and  he  dropped  from  the  race.  McNeil  had 
clear  sailing  from  this  time  forward.  He  was 
acquiring  property  and  money  day  by  day.  As  one 
of  the  pioneers  puts  it,  "Men  were  honest  then, 
and  paid  their  debts  at  least  once  a  year.  The 
merchant  surrounded  by  a  rich  country  suffered  lit 
tle  from  competition.  As  he  placed  his  goods  on 
the  shelf  he  added  an  advance  of  from  seventy-five 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty  per  cent  over  cost  price, 
and  thus  managed  to  get  along."  After  "manag 
ing"  thus  for  several  years,  McNeil,  having  disposed 
of  his  interest  in  the  store  to  Hill,  determined  to 
return  to  New  York,  his  native  State,  for  a  visit. 
He  had  accumulated  up  to  this  time,  as  near  as  we 
can  learn,  ten  or  possibly  twelve  thousand  dollars. 
Before  leaving  he  made  to  Anne  a  singular  reve 
lation.  He  told  her  the  name  McNeil  was  an 
assumed  one;  that  his  real  name  was  McNamar. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  133 

"I  left  behind  me  in  New  York,"  he  said,  "my 
parents  and  brothers  and  sisters.  They  are  poor, 
and  were  in  more  or  less  need  when  I  left  them  in 
1829.  I  vowed  that  I  would  come  West,  make  a 
fortune,  and  go  back  to  help  them.  I  am  going  to 
start  now  and  intend,  if  I  can,  to  bring  them  with 
me  on  my  return  to  Illinois  and  place  them  on  my 
farm."  He  expressed  a  sense  of  deep  satisfaction 
in  being  able  to  clear  up  all  mysteries  which  might 
have  formed  in  the  mind  of  her  to  whom  he  con 
fided  his  love.  He  would  keep  nothing,  he  said, 
from  her.  They  were  engaged  to  be  married,  and 
she  should  know  it  all.  The  change  of  his  name 
was  occasioned  by  the  fear  that  if  the  family  in 
New  York  had  known  where  he  was  they  would 
have  settled  down  on  him,  and  before  he  could  have 
accumulated  any  property  would  have  sunk  him 
beyond  recovery.  Now,  however,  he  was  in  a  con 
dition  to  help  them,  and  he  felt  overjoyed  at  the 
thought.  As  soon  as  the  journey  to  New  York 
could  be  made  he  would  return.  Once  again  in 
New  Salem  he  and  his  fair  one  could  consummate 
the  great  event  to  which  they  looked  forward  with 
undisguised  joy  and  unbounded  hope.  Thus  he 
explained  to  Anne  the  purpose  of  his  journey — a 
story  with  some  remarkable  features,  all  of  which 
she  fully  believed. 

"She  would  have  believed  it  all  the  same  if  it  had 
been  ten  times  as  incredible.  A  wise  man  would 
have  rejected  it  with  scorn,  but  the  girl's  instinct  was 
a  better  guide,  and  McNamar  proved  to  be  all  that 


134  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

he  said  he  was,  although  poor  Anne  never  saw  the 
proof  which  others  got  of  it."* 

At  last  McNamar,  mounting  an  old  horse  that 
had  participated  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  began  his 
journey.  In  passing  through  Ohio  he  became  ill 
with  a  fever.  For  almost  a  month  he  was  confined 
to  his  room,  and  a  portion  of  the  time  was  uncon 
scious.  As  he  approached  a  return  to  good  health 
he  grew  nervous  over  the  delay  in  his  trip.  He 
told  no  one  around  him  his  real  name,  destination, 
or  business.  He  knew  how  his  failure  to  write  to 
New  Salem  would  be  construed,  and  the  resulting 
irritation  gave  way  to  a  feeling  of  desperation.  In 
plainer  language,  he  concluded  it  was  "all  up  with 
him  now."  Meanwhile  a  different  view  of  the  mat 
ter  was  taken  by  Miss  Rutledge.  Her  friends 
encouraged  the  idea  of  cruel  desertion.  The 
change  of  McNeil  to  McNamar  had  wrought  in 
their  minds  a  change  of  sentiment.  Some  con 
tended  that  he  had  undoubtedly  committed  a  crime 
in  his  earlier  days,  and  for  years  had  rested  secure 
from  apprehension  under  the  shadow  of  an  assumed 
name;  while  others  with  equal  assurance  whispered 
in  the  unfortunate  girl's  ear  the  old  story  of  a  rival 
in  her  affections.  Anne's  lady  friends,  strange  to 
relate,  did  more  to  bring  about  a  discordant  feeling 
than  all  others.  Women  are  peculiar  creatures. 
They  love  to  nettle  and  mortify  one  another;  and 
when  one  of  their  own  sex  has  fallen,  how  little 
sympathy  they  seem  to  have!  But  under  all  this 

*  Lamon,  p.  161. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  135 

fire,  in  the  face  of  all  these  insidious  criticisms,  Anne 
remained  firm.  She  had  faith,  and  bided  her  time. 
McNamar,  after  much  vexatious  delay,  finally 
reached  his  birthplace  in  New  York,  finding 
his  father  in  the  decline  of  years  and  health. 
He  provided  for  his  immediate  needs,  and  by  his 
assiduous  attentions  undertook  to  atone  for  the 
years  of  his  neglect;  but  all  to  no  purpose.  The 
old  gentleman  gradually  faded  from  the  world, 
and  early  one  winter  morning  crossed  the  great 
river.  McNamar  was  thus  left  to  settle  up  the 
few  unfinished  details  of  his  father's  estate,  and  to 
provide  for  the  pressing  needs  of  the  family.  His 
detention  necessitated  a  letter  to  Anne,  explaining 
the  nature  and  cause  of  the  delay.  Other  letters 
followed;  but  each  succeeding  one  growing  less 
ardent  in  tone,  and  more  formal  in  phraseology  than 
its  predecessor,  Anne  began  to  lose  faith.  Had 
his  love  gradually  died  away  like  the  morning  wind? 
was  a  question  she  often  asked  herself.  She  had 
stood  firm  under  fire  before,  but  now  her  heart  grew 
sick  with  hope  deferred.  At  last  the  correspondence 
ceased  altogether. 

At  this  point  we  are  favored  with  the  introduc 
tion  of  the  ungainly  Lincoln,  as  a  suitor  for  the 
hand  of  Miss  Rutledge.  Lincoln  had  learned  of 
McNamar 's  strange  conduct,  and  conjecturing 
that  all  the  silken  ties  that  bound  the  two 
together  had  been  sundered,  ventured  to  step  in 
himself.  He  had  seen  the  young  lady  when  a  mere 
girl  at  Mentor  Graham's  school,  and  he,  no  doubt, 
then  had  formed  a  high  opinion  of  her  qualities. 


136  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

But  he  was  too  bashful,  as  his  friend  Ellis  declares, 
to  tell  her  of  it.  No  doubt,  when  he  began  to  pay 
her  attentions  she  was  the  most  attractive  young 
lady  whom  up  to  that  time  he  had  ever  met.  She 
was  not  only  modest  and  winning  in  her  ways,  and 
full  of  good,  womanly  common-sense,  but  withal  re 
fined,  in  contrast  with  the  uncultured  people  who 
surrounded  both  herself  and  Lincoln.  "She  had  a 
secret,  too,  and  a  sorrow, — the  unexplained  and 
painful  absence  of  McNamar, — which,  no  doubt, 
made  her  all  the  more  interesting  to  him  whose 
spirit  was  often  even  more  melancholy  than  her 
own." 

In  after  years,  McNamar  himself,  describing  her 
to  me,  said:  "Miss  Rutledge  was  a  gentle,  amiable 
maiden,  without  any  of  the  airs  of  your  city  belles, 
but  winsome  and  comely  withal;  a  blonde  in  com 
plexion,  with  golden  hair,  cherry-red  lips,  and  a 
bonny  blue  eye.  As  to  her  literary  attainments,  she 
undoubtedly  was  as  classic  a  scholar  as  Mr.  Lincoln. 
She  had  at  the  time  she  met  him,  I  believe,  at 
tended  a  literary  institution  at  Jacksonville,  in  com 
pany  with  her  brother." 

McNamar  seems  to  have  considered  Lincoln's 
bashfulness  as  proof  against  the  alluring  charms  of 
Miss  Rutledge  or  anybody  else,  for  he  continues: 

"Mr.  Lincoln  was  not  to  my  knowledge  paying 
particular  attention  to  any  of  the  young  ladies  of 
my  acquaintance  when  I  left  for  my  home  in  New 
York.  There  was  no  rivalry  between  us  on  that 
score;  on  the  contrary,  I  had  every  reason  to  believe 
him  my  warm,  personal  friend.  But  by-and-by  I 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  137 

was  left  so  far  behind  in  the  race  I  did  not  deem  my 
chances  worthy  of  notice.  From  this  time  forward 
he  made  rapid  strides  to  that  imperishable  fame 
which  justly  fills  a  world." 

Lincoln  began  to  court  Miss  Rutledge  in  dead 
earnest.  Like  David  Copperfield,  he  soon  realized 
that  he  was  in  danger  of  becoming  deeply  in  love,  and 
as  he  approached  the  brink  of  the  pit  he  trembled 
lest  he  should  indeed  fall  in.  As  he  pleaded  and 
pressed  his  cause  the  Rutledges  and  all  New  Salem 
encouraged  his  suit.  McNamar's  unexplained  ab 
sence  and  apparent  neglect  furnished  outsiders 
with  all  the  arguments  needed  to  encourage  Lincoln 
and  convince  Anne.  Although  the  attachment  was 
growing  and  daily  becoming  an  intense  and  mutual 
passion,  the  young  lady  remained  firm  and  almost 
inflexible.  She  was  passing  through  another  fire. 
A  long  struggle  with  her  feelings  followed;  but  at 
length  the  inevitable  moment  came.  She  consented 
to  have  Lincoln,  provided  he  gave  her  time  to  write 
to  McNamar  and  obtain  his  release  from  her  pledge. 
The  slow-moving  mails  carried  her  tender  letter  to 
New  York.  Days  and  weeks — which  to  the  ardent 
Lincoln  must  have  seemed  painfully  long — passed, 
but  the  answer  never  came.  In  a  half-hearted  way 
she  turned  to  Lincoln,  and  her  looks  told  him  that 
he  had  won.  She  accepted  his  proposal.  Now 
that  they  were  engaged  he  told  her  what  she  already 
knew,  that  he  was  poverty  itself.  She  must  grant 
him  time  to  gather  up  funds  to  live  on  until  he  had 
completed  his  law  studies.  After  this  trifling  delay 
"nothing  on  God's  footstool,"  argued  the  em- 


138  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

phatic  lover,  could  keep  them  apart.  To  this  the 
thoughtful  Anne  consented.  To  one  of  her 
brothers,  she  said:  "As  soon  as  his  studies  are  com 
pleted  we  are  to  be  married."  But  the  ghost  of 
another  love  would  often  rise  unbidden  before  her. 
Within  her  bosom  raged  the  conflict  which  finally 
undermined  her  health.  Late  in  the  summer  she 
took  to  her  bed.  A  fever  was  burning  in  her  head. 
Day  by  day  she  sank,  until  all  hope  was  banished. 
During  the  latter  days  of  her  sickness,  her  physician 
had  forbidden  visitors  to  enter  her  room,  prescribing 
absolute  quiet.  But  her  brother  relates  that  she 
kept  enquiring  for  Lincoln  so  continuously,  at  times 
demanding  to  see  him,  that  the  family  at  last  sent 
for  him.  On  his  arrival  at  her  bedside  the  door  was 
closed  and  he  was  left  alone  with  her.  What  was 
said,  what  vows  and  revelations  were  made  during 
this  sad  interview,  were  known  only  to  him  and  the 
dying  girl.  A  few  days  afterward  she  became  un 
conscious  and  remained  so  until  her  death  on  the 
25th  day  of  August,  1835.  She  was  buried  in  what 
is  known  as  the  Concord  grave-yard,  about  seven 
miles  north-west  of  the  town  of  Petersburg.* 

The  most  astonishing  and  sad  sequel  to  this  court- 


*  "I  have  heard  mother  say  that  Anne  would  frequently  sing 
for  Lincoln's  benefit.  She  had  a  clear,  ringing  voice.  Early  in 
her  illness  he  called,  and  she  sang  a  hymn  for  which  he  always 
expressed  a  great  preference.  It  begins : 

'Vain  man,  thy  fond  pursuits  forbear.1 

You  will  find  it  in  one  of  the  standard  hymn-books.  It  was  like 
wise  the  last  thing  she  ever  sung." — Letter,  John  M.  Rutledge, 
MS.,  Nov.  25,  1866. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  139 

ship  was  the  disastrous  effect  of  Miss  Rutledge's 
death  on  Mr.  Lincoln's  mind.  It  operated  strangely 
on  one  of  his  calm  and  stoical  make-up.  As  he  re 
turned  from  the  visit  to  the  bedside  of  Miss  Rut- 
ledge,  he  stopped  at  the  house  of  a  friend,  who  re 
lates  that  his  face  showed  signs  of  no  little  mental 
agony.  "He  was  very  much  distressed,"  is  the 
language  of  this  friend,  "and  I  was  not  surprised 
when  it  was  rumored  subsequently  that  his  rea^- 
son  was  in  danger."  One  of  Miss  Rutledge's 
brothers*  says :  "The  effect  upon  Mr.  Lincoln's 
mind  was  terrible.  He  became  plunged  in  despair, 
and  many  of  his  friends  feared  that  reason  would 
desert  her  throne.  His  extraordinary  emotions 
were  regarded  as  strong  evidence  of  the  existence 
of  the  tenderest  relations  between  himself  and  the 
deceased."  The  truth  is  Mr.  Lincoln  was  strangely 
wrought  up  over  the  sad  ending  of  the  affair.  He 
had  fits  of  great  mental  depression,  and  wandered 
up  and  down  the  river  and  into  the  woods  woefully 
abstracted — at  times  in  the  deepest  distress.  If, 
when  we  read  what  the  many  credible  persons  who 
knew  him  at  the  time  tell  us,  we  do  not  con 
clude  that  he  was  deranged,  we  must  admit  that 
he  walked  on  that  sharp  and  narrow  line  which  di 
vides  sanity  from  insanity.  To  one  friend  he  com 
plained  that  the  thought  "that  the  snows  and  rains 
fall  upon  her  grave  filled  him  with  indescribable 
grief."f  He  was  watched  with  especial  vigilance 


*  R.  B.  Rutledge,  MS.,  letter,  Oct.  21,  1866. 
t  Letter,  Wm.  Greene,  MS.,  May  29,  1865. 


140  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

during  damp,  stormy  days,  under  the  belief  that 
dark  and  gloomy  weather  might  produce  such  a  de 
pression  of  spirits  as  to  induce  him  to  take  his  own 
life.  His  condition  finally  became  so  alarming,  his 
friends  consulted  together  and  sent  him  to  the 
house  of  a  kind  friend,  Bowlin  Greene,  who  lived 
in  a  secluded  spot  hidden  by  the  hills,  a  mile  south 
of  town.  Here  he  remained  for  some  weeks  under 
the  care  and  ever  watchful  eye  of  this  noble  friend, 
who  gradually  brought  him  back  to  reason,  or  at 
least  a  realization  of  his  true  condition.  In  the 
years  that  followed  Mr.  Lincoln  never  forgot  the 
kindness  of  Greene  through  those  weeks  of  suffer 
ing  and  peril.  In  1842,  when  the  latter  died,  and 
Lincoln  was  selected  by  the  Masonic  lodge  to  de 
liver  the  funeral  oration,  he  broke  down  in  the  midst 
of  his  address.  "His  voice  was  choked  with  deep 
emotion ;  he  stood  a  few  moments  while  his  lips 
quivered  in  the  effort  to  form  the  words  of  fervent 
praise  he  sought  to  utter,  and  the  tears  ran  down 
his  yellow  and  shrivelled  cheeks.  Every  heart  was 
hushed  at  the  spectacle.  After  repeated  efforts  he 
found  it  impossible  to  speak,  and  strode  away,  bit 
terly  sobbing,  to  the  widow's  carriage  and  was 
driven  from  the  scene." 

It  was  shortly  after  this  that  Dr.  Jason  Duncan 
placed  in  Lincoln's  hands  a  poem  called  "Immor 
tality."  The  piece  starts  out  with  the  line,  "Oh! 
why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud."  Lin 
coln's  love  for  this  poem  has  certainly  made  it  im 
mortal.  He  committed  these  lines  to  memory,  and 
any  reference  to  or  mention  of  Miss  Rutledge 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  141 

would  suggest  them,  as  if  "to  celebrate  a  grief 
which  lay  with  continual  heaviness  on  his  heart." 
There  is  no  question  that  from  this  time  forward 
Mr.  Lincoln's  spells  of  melancholy  became  more 
intense  than  ever.  In  fact  a  tinge  of  this  desper 
ate  feeling  of  sadness  followed  him  to  Springfield. 
He  himself  was  somewhat  superstitious  about  it, 
and  in  1840-41  wrote  to  Dr.  Drake,  a  celebrated 
physician  in  Cincinnati,  describing  his  mental  condi 
tion  in  a  long  letter.  Dr.  Drake  responded,  saying 
substantially,  "I  cannot  prescribe  in  your  case 
without  a  personal  interview."  Joshua  F.  Speed, 
to  whom  Lincoln  showed  the  letter  addressed  to 
Dr.  Drake,  writing  to  me  from  Louisville,  Novem 
ber  30,  1866,  says:  "I  think  he  (Lincoln)  must  have 
informed  Dr.  Drake  of  his  early  love  for  Miss 
Rutledge,  as  there  was  a  part  of  the  letter  which  he 
would  not  read."  It  is  shown  by  the  declaration 
of  Mr.  Lincoln  himself  made  to  a  fellow  member* 
of  the  Legislature  within  two  years  after  Anne 
Rutledge's  death  that  "although  he  seemed  to 
others  to  enjoy  life  rapturously,  yet  when  alone 
he  was  so  overcome  by  mental  depression  he  never 
dared  to  carry  a  pocket  knife." 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  suggest  before  I  pass 
from  mention  of  McNamar  that,  true  to  his  prom 
ise,  he  drove  into  New  Salem  in  the  fall  of  1835 
with  his  mother  and  brothers  and  sisters.  They 
had  come  through  from  New  York  in  a  wagon,  with 
all  their  portable  goods.  Anne  Rutledge  had 

*  Robert  L.  Wilson,  MS.,  letter,  Feb.  10,  1866. 


142  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

meanwhile  died,  and  McNamar  could  only  muse  in 
silence  over  the  fading  visions  of  "what  might  have 
been."  On  his  arrival  he  met  Lincoln,  who,  with 
the  memory  of  their  mutual  friend,  now  dead,  con 
stantly  before  him,  "seemed  desolate  and  sorely 
distressed."  The  little  acre  of  ground  in  Concord 
cemetery  contained  the  form  of  his  first  love,  rudely 
torn  from  him,  and  the  great  world,  throbbing  with 
life  but  cold  and  heartless,  lay  spread  before  him. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BEFORE  taking  up  an  account  of  Lincoln's  entry 
into  the  Legislature,  which,  following  strictly  the 
order  of  time,  properly  belongs  here,  I  beg  to  di 
gress  long  enough  to  narrate  what  I  have  gathered 
relating  to  another  courtship — an  affair  of  the  heart 
which  culminated  in  a  sequel  as  amusing  as  the  one 
with  Anne  Rutledge  was  sad.  I  experienced  much 
difficulty  in  obtaining  the  particulars  of  this  court 
ship.  After  no  little  effort  I  finally  located  and 
corresponded  with  the  lady  participant  herself,  who 
in  1866  furnished  me  with  Lincoln's  letters  and  her 
own  account  of  the  affair,  requesting  the  suppres 
sion  of  her  name  and  residence.  Since  then,  how 
ever,  she  has  died,  and  her  children  have  not  only 
consented  to  a  publication  of  the  history,  but  have 
furnished  me  recently  with  more  facts  and  an  ex 
cellent  portrait  of  their  mother  made  shortly  after 
her  refusal  of  Lincoln's  hand. 

Mary  S.  Owens — a  native  of  Green  county,  Ken 
tucky,  born  September  29,  1808 — first  became  ac 
quainted  with  Lincoln  while  on  a  visit  to  a  sister, 
the  wife  of  Bennet  Able,  an  early  settler  in  the  coun 
try  about  New  Salem.  Lincoln  was  a  frequent  vis 
itor  at  the  house  of  Able,  and  a  warm  friend  of  the 
family.  During  the  visit  of  Miss  Owens  in  1833, 

143 


144  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

though  only  remaining  a  month,  she  lingered 
long  enough  to  make  an  impression  on  Lincoln; 
but  returned  to  Kentucky  and  did  not  reappear  in 
New  Salem  till  1836.  Meanwhile  Anne  Rutledge 
had  died,  and  Lincoln's  eyes  began  to  wander  after 
the  dark-haired  visitor  from  Kentucky.  Miss 
Owens  differed  from  Miss  Rutledge  in  early  educa 
tion  and  the  advantages  of  wealth.  She  had  re 
ceived  an  excellent  education,  her  father  being  one 
of  the  wealthiest  and  most  influential  men  of  his 
time  and  locality.  A  portion  of  her  schooling  was 
obtained  in  a  Catholic  convent,  though  in  religious 
faith  she  was  a  Baptist.  According  to  a  description 
furnished  me  by  herself  she  "had  fair  skin,  deep 
blue  eyes,  and  dark  curling  hair;  height  five  feet, 
five  inches;  weight  about  a  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds."  She  was  good-looking  in  girlhood;  by 
many  esteemed  handsome,  but  became  fleshier  as 
she  grew  older.  At  the  time  of  her  second  visit 
she  reached  New  Salem  on  the  day  of  the  Presiden 
tial  election,  passing  the  polls  where  the  men  had 
congregated,  on  the  way  to  her  sister's  house.  One 
man  in  the  crowd  who  saw  her  then  was  impressed 
with  her  beauty.  Years  afterwards,  in  relating  the 
incident,*  he  wrote  me: 

"She  was  tall,  portly,  had  large  blue  eyes  and  the 
finest  trimmings  I  ever  saw.  She  was  jovial,  social, 
loved  wit  and  humor,  had  a  liberal  English  educa 
tion,  and  was  considered  wealthy.  None  of  the 
poets  or  romance  writers  have  ever  given  us  a  pict 
ure  of  a  heroine  so  beautiful  as  a  good  description 
of  Miss  Owens  in  1836  would  be." 

*  L.  M.  Greene. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  145 

A  lady  friend*  says  she  was  "handsome,  truly 
handsome,  matronly-looking,  over  ordinary  size  in 
height  and  weight." 

A  gentlemanf  who  saw  her  a  few  years  before  her 
death  describes  her  as  "a  nervous,  muscular  woman, 
very  intellectual,  with  a  forehead  massive  and  angu 
lar,  square,  prominent,  and  broad." 

At  the  time  of  her  advent  into  the  society  of  New 
Salem  she  was  polished  in  her  manners,  pleasing  in 
her  address,  and  attractive  in  many  ways.  She  had 
a  little  dash  of  coquetry  in  her  intercourse  with 
that  class  of  young  men  who  arrogated  to  them 
selves  claims  of  superiority,  but  she  never  yielded  to 
this  disposition  to  an  extent  that  would  willingly 
lend  encouragement  to  an  honest  suitor  sincerely 
desirous  of  securing  her  hand,  when  she  felt  she 
could  not  in  the  end  yield  to  a  proposal  of  marriage 
if  he  should  make  the  offer.  She  was  a  good  con 
versationalist  and  a  splendid  reader,  very  few  per 
sons  being  found  to  equal  her  in  this  accomplish 
ment.  She  was  light-hearted  and  cheery  in  her 
disposition,  kind  and  considerate  for  those  with 
whom  she  was  thrown  in  contact. 

One  of  Miss  Owens'  descendants  is  authority  for 
the  statement  that  Lincoln  had  boasted  that  "if 
Mary  Owens  ever  returned  to  Illinois  a  second  time 
he  would  marry  her;"  that  a  report  of  this  came  to 
her  ears,  whereupon  she  left  her  Kentucky  home 
with  a  pre-determination  to  show  him  if  she  met 

*  Mrs.  Hardin  Bale.  t  Johnson  G.  Greene. 


146  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

him  that  she  was  not  to  be  caught  simply  by  the 
asking.  On  this  second  visit  Lincoln  paid  her 
more  marked  attention  than  before,  and  his  affec 
tions  became  more  and  more  enlisted  in  her  behalf. 
During  the  earlier  part  of  their  acquaintance,  fol 
lowing  the  natural  bent  of  her  temperament  she 
was  pleasing  and  entertaining  to  him.  Later  on  he 
discovered  himself  seriously  interested  in  the  blue- 
eyed  Kentuckian,  whom  he  had  really  under-esti 
mated  in  his  preconceived  opinions  of  her.  In  the 
meantime  she  too  had  become  interested,  having 
discovered  the  sterling  qualities  of  the  young  man 
who  was  paying  her  such  devoted  attention ;  yet 
while  she  admired  she  did  not  love  him.  He  was 
ungainly  and  angular  in  his  physical  make-up,  and 
to  her  seemed  deficient  in  the  nicer  and  more  deli 
cate  attentions  which  she  felt  to  be  due  from  the 
man  whom  she  had  pictured  as  an  ideal  husband. 
He  had  given  her  to  understand  that  she  had 
greatly  charmed  him ;  but  he  was  not  himself 
certain  that  he  could  make  her  the  husband  with 
whom  he  thought  she  would  be  most  happy.  Later 
on  by  word  and  letter  he  told  her  so.  His  honesty 
of  purpose  showed  itself  in  all  his  efforts  to  win  her 
hand.  He  told  her  of  his  poverty,  and  while  advis 
ing  her  that  life  with  him  meant  to  her  who  had 
been  reared  in  comfort  and  plenty,  great  privation 
and  sacrifice,  yet  he  wished  to  secure  her  as  a  wife. 
She,  however,  felt  that  she  did  not  entertain  for  him 
the  same  feeling  that  he  professed  for  her  and  that 
she  ought  to  entertain  before  accepting  him,  and  so 
declined  his  offer.  Judging  from  his  letters  alone 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  147 

it  has  been  supposed  by  some  that  she,  remember 
ing  the  rumor  she  had  heard  of  his  determination 
to  marry  her,  and  not  being  fully  certain  of  the 
sincerity  of  his  purposes,  may  have  purposely  left 
him  in  the  earlier  stages  of  his  courtship  somewhat 
in  uncertainty.  Later  on,  however,  when  by  his 
manner  and  repeated  announcement  to  her  that  his 
hand  and  heart  were  at  her  disposal,  he  demon 
strated  the  honesty  and  sincerity  of  his  intentions, 
she  declined  his  offer  kindly  but  with  no  uncertain 
meaning. 

The  first  letter  I  received  from  Mrs.  Vineyard — 
for  she  was  married  to  Jesse  Vineyard,  March  27, 
1841— was  written  at  Weston,  Mo.,  May  1,  1866. 
Among  other  things  she  says :  "After  quite  a 
struggle  with  my  feelings  I  have  at  last  decided  to 
send  you  the  letters  in  my  possession  written  by 
Mr.  Lincoln,  believing  as  I  do  that  you  are  a  gen 
tleman  of  honor  and  will  faithfully  abide  by  all 
you  have  said.  My  associations  with  your  lamented 
friend  were  in  Menard  county  whilst  visiting  a 
sister  who  then  resided  near'  Petersburg.  I  have 
learned  that  my  maiden  name  is  now  in  your  pos 
session;  and  you  have  ere  this,  no  doubt,  been  in 
formed  that  I  am  a  native  Kentuckian." 

The  letters  written  by  Lincoln  not  revealing 
enough  details  of  the  courtship,  I  prepared  a  list  of 
questions  for  the  lady  to  answer  in  order  that  the 
entire  history  of  their  relations  might  be  clearly 
shown.  I  perhaps  pressed  her  too  closely  in  such  a 
delicate  matter,  for  she  responded  in  a  few  days  as 
follows : 


148  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

"WESTON,  Mov  May  22,  1866. 
"MR.  W.  H.  HERNDON, 

"Mv  DEAR  SIR:  Really,  you  catechise  me  in 
true  lawyer  style;  but  I  feel  you  will  have  the 
goodness  to  excuse  me  if  I  decline  answering  all 
your  questions  in  detail,  being  well  assured  that  few 
women  would  have  ceded  as  much  as  I  have  under 
all  the  circumstances. 

"You  say  you  have  heard  why  our  acquaintance 
terminated  as  it  did.  I  too  have  heard  the  same 
bit  of  gossip;  but  I  never  used  the  remark  which 
Madame  Rumor  says  I  did  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  I  think 
I  did  on  one  occasion  say  to  my  sister,  who  was 
very  anxious  for  us  to  be  married,  that  I  thought 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  deficient  in  those  little  links  which 
make  up  the  chain  of  woman's  happiness — at  least 
it  was  so  in  my  case.  Not  that  I  believed  it  pro 
ceeded  from  a  lack  of  goodness  of  heart;  but  his 
training  had  been  different  from  mine ;  hence  there 
was  not  that  congeniality  which  would  otherwise 
have  existed. 

"From  his  own  showing  you  perceive  that  his 
heart  and  hand  were  at  my  disposal;  and  I  suppose 
that  my  feelings  were  not  sufficiently  enlisted  to 
have  the  matter  consummated.  About  the  begin 
ning  of  the  year  1838  I  left  Illinois,  at  which  time 
our  acquaintance  and  correspondence  ceased,  with 
out  ever  again  being  renewed. 

"My  father,  who  resided  in  Green  county,  Ken 
tucky,  was  a  gentleman  of  considerable  means ;  and 
I  am  persuaded  that  few  persons  placed  a  higher 
estimate  on  education  than  he  did. 

"Respectfully  yours, 

"MARY  S.  VINEYARD/' 

The  reference  to  Lincoln's  deficiency  "in  those 
little  links  which  make  up  the  chain  of  woman's 
happiness"  is  of  no  little  significance.  It  proved 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  149 

that  his  training  had  indeed  been  different  from 
hers.  In  a  short  time  I  again  wrote  Mrs.  Vineyard 
to  enquire  as  to  the  truth  of  a  story  current  in  New 
Salem,  that  one  day  as  she  and  Mrs.  Bowlin  Greene 
were  climbing  up  the  hill  to  Abie's  house  they 
were  joined  by  Lincoln;  that  Mrs.  Greene  was 
obliged  to  carry  her  child,  a  fat  baby  boy,  to  the 
summit;  that  Lincoln  strolled  carelessly  along, 
offering  no  assistance  to  the  woman  who  bent 
under  the  load.  Thereupon  Miss  Owens,  censuring 
him  for  his  neglect,  reminded  him  that  in  her 
estimation  he  would  not  make  a  good  husband.  In 
due  time  came  her  answer : 


"WESTON,  Mo.,  July  22,  1866. 
"MR.  W.  H.  HERNDON  : 

"DEAR  SIR:  I  do  not  think  you  are  pertina 
cious  in  asking  the  question  relative  to  old  Mrs. 
Bowlin  Greene,  because  I  wish  to  set  you  right  on 
that  question.  Your  information,  no  doubt,  came 
through  my  cousin,  Mr.  Gaines  Greene,  who  visited 
us  last  winter.  Whilst  here,  he  was  laughing  at  me 
about  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  among  other  things  spoke 
about  the  circumstance  in  connection  with  Mrs. 
Greene  and  child.  My  impression  is  now  that  I 
tacitly  admitted  it,  for  it  was  a  season  of  trouble 
with  me,  and  I  gave  but  little  heed  to  the  matter. 
We  never  had  any  hard  feelings  towards  each  other 
that  I  know  of.  On  no  occasion  did  I  say  to  Mr. 
Lincoln  that  I  did  not  believe  he  would  make  a 
kind  husband,  because  he  did  not  tender  his  ser 
vices  to  Mrs.  Greene  in  helping  of  her  carry  her 
babe.  As  I  said  to  you  in  a  former  letter,  I 
thought  him  lacking  in  smaller  attentions.  One 
circumstance  presents  itself  just  now  to  my  mind's 
eye.  There  was  a  company  of  us  going  to  Uncle 


150  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

Billy  Greene's.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  riding  with  me, 
and  we  had  a  very  bad  branch  to  cross.  The  other 
gentlemen  were  very  officious  in  seeing  that  their 
partners  got  safely  over.  We  were  behind,  he 
riding  in,  never  looking  back  to  see  how  I  got 
along.  When  I  rode  up  beside  him,  I  remarked, 
'You  are  a  nice  fellow !  I  suppose  you  did  not  care 
whether  my  neck  was  broken  or  not.'  He  laugh 
ingly  replied  (I  suppose  by  way  of  compliment),  that 
he  knew  I  was  plenty  smart  to  take  care  of  my 
self. 

"In  many  things  he  was  sensitive  almost  to  a 
fault.  He  told  me  of  an  incident :  that  he  was 
crossing  a  prairie  one  day  and  saw  before  him,  'a 
hog  mired  down,'  to  use  his  own  language.  He 
was  rather  'fixed  up,'  and  he  resolved  that  he  would 
pass  on  without  looking  at  the  shoat.  After  he 
had  gone  by,  he  said  the  feeling  was  irresistible; 
and  he  had  to  look  back,  and  the  poor  thing  seemed 
to  say  wistfully,  There  now,  my  last  hope  is  gone:' 
that  he  deliberately  got  down  and  relieved  it  from 
its  difficulty. 

"In  many  things  we  were  congenial  spirits.  In 
politics  we  saw  eye  to  eye,  though  since  then  we 
differed  as  widely  as  the  South  is  from  the  North. 
But  methinks  I  hear  you  say,  'Save  me  from  a 
political  woman !'  So  say  I. 

"The  last  message  I  ever  received  from  him  was 
about  a  year  after  we  parted  in  Illinois.  Mrs.  Able 
visited  Kentucky,  and  he  said  to  her  in  Springfield, 
'Tell  your  sister  that  I  think  she  was  a  great  fool 
because  she  did  not  stay  here  and  marry  me.' 
Characteristic  of  the  man! 

"Respectfully  yours, 

"MARY  S.  VINEYARD/' 

We  have  thus  been  favored  with  the  lady's  side 
of  this  case,  and  it  is  but  fair  that  we  should  hear 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  151 

the  testimony  of  her  honest  but  ungainly  suitor. 
Fortunately  for  us  and  for  history  we  have  his  view 
of  the  case  in  a  series  of  letters  which  have  been 
preserved  with  zealous  care  by  the  lady's  family.* 
The  first  letter  was  written  from  Vandalia,  Decem 
ber  13,  1836,  where  the  Legislature  to.  which  he 
belonged  was  in  session.  After  reciting  the 
progress  of  legislation  and  the  flattering  prospect 
that  then  existed  for  the  removal  of  the  seat  of 
government  to  Springfield,  he  gets  down  to  personal 
matters  by  apprising  her  of  his  illness  for  a  few 
days,  coupled  with  the  announcement  that  he  is 
mortified  by  daily  trips  to  the  post-office  in  quest 
of  her  letter,  which  it  seemed  never  would  arrive. 
"You  see,"  he  complains,  "I  am  mad  about  that 
old  letter  yet.  I  don't  like  to  risk  you  again.  I'll 
try  you  once  more,  anyhow."  Further  along  in 
the  course  of  the  missive,  he  says:  "You  recollect, 
I  mentioned  at  the  outset  of  this  letter,  that  I  had 
been  unwell.  That  is  the  fact,  though  I  believe  I 
am  about  well  now;  but  that,  with  other  things  I 
cannot  account  for,  have  conspired,  and  have  gotten 
my  spirits  so  low  that  I  feel  that  I  would  rather 
be  in  any  place  in  the  world  than  here.  I  really 
cannot  endure  the  thought  of  staying  here  ten 
weeks.  Write  back  as  soon  as  you  get  this,  and  if 
possible,  say  something  that  will  please  me;  for 
really,  I  have  not  been  pleased  since  I  left  you. 


*  The  copies  of  these  letters  were  carefully  made  by  Mr.  Weik 
from  the  originals,  now  in  the  possession  of  B.  R.  Vineyard,  St. 
Joseph,  Mo. 


152  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

This  letter  is  so  dry  and  stupid,"  he  mournfully 
concludes,  "that  I  am  ashamed  to  send  it,  but  with 
my  present  feelings  I  cannot  do  any  better." 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  Legislature  he 
returned  to  Springfield,  from  which  point  it  was  a 
matter  of  easy  driving  to  reach  New  Salem,  where 
his  lady-love  was  sojourning,  and  where  he  could 
pay  his  addresses  in  person.  It  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that  he  had  by  this  time  removed  to  Spring 
field,  the  county  seat,  and  entered  on  the  practice  of 
the  law.  In  the  gloom  resulting  from  lack  of  funds 
and  the  dim  prospects  for  business,  he  found  time  to 
communicate  with  the  friend  whose  case  was  con 
stantly  uppermost  in  his  mind.  Here  is  one  char 
acteristic  letter : 


"SPRINGFIELD,  May  7,  1837. 
FRIEND  MARY: 

"I  have  commenced  two  letters  to  send  you 
before  this,  both  of  which  displeased  me  before  I 
got  half  done,  and  so  I  tore  them  up.  The  first  I 
thought  wasn't  serious  enough,  and  the  second  was 
on  the  other  extreme.  I  shall  send  this,  turn  out 
as  it  may. 

"This  thing  of  living  in  Springfield  is  rather  a  dull 
business  after  all — at  least  it  is  so  to  me.  I  am 
quite  as  lonesome  here  as  [I]  ever  was  anywhere  in 
my  life.  I  have  been  spoken  to  by  but  one  woman 
since  I've  been  here,  and  should  not  have  been  by 
her  if  she  could  have  avoided  it.  I've  never  been 
to  church  yet,  and  probably  shall  not  be  soon.  I 
stay  away  because  I  am  conscious  I  should  not 
know  how  to  behave  myself.  I  am  often  think 
ing  of  what  we  said  of  your  coming  to  live  at 
Springfield.  I  am  afraid  you  would  not  be  satis- 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  153 

fied.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  flourishing  about  in 
carriages  here,  which  it  would  be  your  doom 
to  see  without  sharing  in  it.  You  would  have  to 
be  poor  without  the  means  of  hiding  your  poverty. 
Do  you  believe  you  could  bear  that  patiently? 
Whatever  woman  may  cast  her  lot  with  mine, 
should  anyone  ever  do  so,  it  is  my  intention  to  do 
all  in  my  power  to  make  her  happy  and  contented, 
and  there  is  nothing  I  can  imagine  that  would  make 
me  more  unhappy  than  to  fail  in  the  effort.  I 
know  I  should  be  much  happier  with  you  than 
the  way  I  am,  provided  I  saw  no  signs  of  discon 
tent  in  you. 

"What  you  have  said  to  me  may  have  been  in 
jest  or  I  may  have  misunderstood  it.  If  so,  then 
let  it  be  forgotten ;  if  otherwise  I  much  wish  you 
would  think  seriously  before  you  decide.  For  my 
part  I  have  already  decided.  What  I  have  said  I 
will  most  positively  abide  by,  provided  you  wish  it. 
My  opinion  is  you  had  better  not  do  it.  You  have 
not  been  accustomed  to  hardship,  and  it  may  be 
more  severe  than  you  imagine.  I  know  you  are 
capable  of  thinking  correctly  on  any  subject;  and 
if  you  deliberate  maturely  upon  this  before  you 
decide,  then  I  am  willing  to  abide  your  decision. 

"You  must  write  me  a  good  long  letter  after  you 
get  this.  You  have  nothing  else  to  do,  and  though 
it  might  not  seem  interesting  to  you  after  you  have 
written  it,  it  would  be  a  good  deal  of  company  in 
this  busy  wilderness.  Tell  your  sister  I  don't  want 
to  hear  any  more  about  selling  out  and  moving. 
That  gives  me  the  hypo  whenever  I  think  of  it. 

"Yours,  etc. 

"LINCOLN/"' 

Very  few  if  any  men  can  be  found  who  in  fond 
pursuit  of  their  love  would  present  their  case 
voluntarily  in  such  an  unfavorable  light.  In  one 


154  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

breath  he  avows  his  affection  for  the  lady  whose 
image  is  constantly  before  him,  and  in  the  next 
furnishes  her  reasons  why  she  ought  not  to  marry 
him !  During  the  warm,  dry  summer  months  he 
kept  up  the  siege  without  apparent  diminution  of 
zeal.  He  was  as  assiduous  as  ever,  and  in  August 
was  anxious  to  force  a  decision.  On  the  16th  he  had 
a  meeting  with  her  which  terminated  much  like 
a  drawn  battle — at  least  it  seems  to  have  afforded 
him  but  little  encouragement,  for  on  his  return  to 
Springfield  he  immediately  indulged  in  an  epistolary 
effusion  stranger  than  any  that  preceded  it. 

"FRIEND  MARY: 

"You  will  no  doubt  think  it  rather  strange  that  I 
should  write  you  a  letter  on  the  same  day  on  which 
we  parted;  and  I  can  only  account  for  it  by  sup 
posing  that  seeing  you  lately  makes  me  think  of 
you  more  than  usual,  while  at  our  late  meeting  we 
had  but  few  expressions  of  thoughts.  You  must 
know  that  I  cannot  see  you  or  think  of  you  with 
entire  indifference ;  and  yet  it  may  be  that  you  are 
mistaken  in  regard  to  what  my  real  feelings  towards 
you  are.  If  I  knew  you  were  not,  I  should  not 
trouble  you  with  this  letter.  Perhaps  any  other 
man  would  know  enough  without  further  informa 
tion,  but  I  consider  it  my  peculiar  right  to  plead 
ignorance  and  your  bounden  duty  to  allow  the  plea. 

"I  want  in  all  cases  to  do  right;  and  most  particu 
larly  so  in  all  cases  with  women.  I  want,  at  this 
particular  time,  more  than  anything  else,  to  do 
right  with  you,  and  if  I  knew  it  would  be  doing 
right,  as  I  rather  suspect  it  would,  to  let  you  alone,  I 
would  do  it.  And  for  the  purpose  of  making  the 
matter  as  plain  as  possible,  I  now  say,  that  you  can 
now  drop  the  subject,  dismiss  your  thoughts  (if  you 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  155 

ever  had  any)  from  me  forever,  and  leave  this  letter 
unanswered,  without  calling  forth  one  accusing  mur 
mur  from  me.  And  I  will  even  go  farther,  and  say, 
that  if  it  will  add  anything  to  your  comfort  or 
peace  of  mind  to  do  so,  it  is  my  sincere  wish  that 
you  should.  Do  not  understand  by  this  that  I  wish 
to  cut  your  acquaintance.  I  mean  no  such  thing. 
What  I  do  wish  is  that  our  further  acquaintance 
shall  depend  upon  yourself.  If  such  further  ac 
quaintance  would  contribute  nothing  to  your  happi 
ness,  I  am  sure  it  would  not  to  mine.  If  you  feel 
yourself  in  any  degree  bound  to  me,  I  am  now  will 
ing  to  release  you,  provided  you  wish  it;  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  I  am  willing  and  even  anxious  to 
bind  you  faster  if  I  can  be  convinced  that  it  will 
in  any  considerable  degree  add  to  your  happiness. 
This,  indeed,  is  the  whole  question  with  me.  Noth 
ing  would  make  me  more  miserable,  nothing  more 
happy,  than  to  know  you  were  so. 

"In  what  I  have  now  said,,  I  think  I  cannot  be 
misunderstood ;  and  to  make  myself  understood  is 
the  sole  object  of  this  letter. 

"If  it  suits  you  best  to  not  answer  this — farewell 
— a  long  life  and  a  merry  one  attend  you.  But  if 
you  conclude  to  write  back,  speak  as  plainly  as  I  do. 
There  can  be  neither  harm  nor  danger  in  saying 
to  me  anything  you  think,  just  in  the  manner  you 
think  it. 

"My  respects  to  your  sister. 

"Your  friend, 

"LINCOLN." 

For  an  account  of  the  final  outcome  of  this 
affaire  du  cceur  the  reader  is  now  referred  to  the 
most  ludicrous  letter  Mr.  Lincoln  ever  wrote.  It 
has  been  said,  but  with  how  much  truth  I  do  not 
know,  that  during  his  term  as  President  the  lady  to 


156  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

whom  it  was  written — Mrs.  O.  H.  Browning,  wife  of 
a  fellow-member  of  the  Legislature — before  giving 
a  copy  of  it  to  a  biographer,  wrote  to  Lincoln  asking 
his  consent  to  the  publication,  but  that  he  answered 
warning  her  against  it  because  it  was  too  full  of 
truth.  The  only  biographer  who  ever  did  insert  it 
apologized  for  its  appearance  in  his  book,  regarding 
it  for  many  reasons  as  an  extremely  painful  duty. 
"If  it  could  be  withheld,"  he  laments,  "and  the 
act  decently  reconciled  to  the  conscience  of  a  biog 
rapher*  professing  to  be  honest  and  candid,  it 
should  never  see  the  light  in  these  pages.  Its  gro 
tesque  humor,  its  coarse  exaggerations  in  describing 
the  person  of  a  lady  whom  the  writer  was  willing  to 
marry;  its  imputation  of  toothless  and  weather- 
beaten  old  age  to  a  woman  really  young  and  hand 
some;  its  utter  lack  of  that  delicacy  of  tone  and 
sentiment  which  one  naturally  expects  a  gentleman 
to  adopt  when  he  thinks  proper  to  discuss  the 
merits  of  his  late  mistress — all  these,  and  its  defec 
tive  orthography,  it  would  certainly  be  more  agree 
able  to  suppress  than  to  publish.  But  if  we  begin 
by  omitting  or  mutilating  a  document  which  sheds 
so  broad  a  light  upon  one  part  of  his  life  and  one 
phase  of  his  character,  why  may  we  not  do  the  like 
as  fast  and  as  often  as  the  temptation  arises?  and 
where  shall  the  process  cease  ?" 

I  prefer  not  to  take  such  a  serious  view  of  the 
letter  or  its  publication.  My  idea  is,  that  Mr. 
Lincoln  got  into  one  of  his  irresistible  moods  of 
humor  and  fun — a  state  of  feeling  into  which  he 

*  Lamon,  p.   181. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  157 

frequently  worked  himself  to  avert  the  overwhelm 
ing  effects  of  his  constitutional  melancholy — and  in 
the  inspiration  of  the  moment  penned  this  letter, 
which  many  regard  as  an  unfortunate  composition. 
The  class  who  take  such  a  gloomy  view  of  the 
matter  should  bear  in  mind  that  the  letter  was 
written  by  Mr.  Lincoln  in  the  fervor  of  early  man 
hood,  just  as  he  was  emerging  from  a  most  embar 
rassing  situation,  and  addressed  to  a  friend  whom  he 
supposed  would  keep  it  sacredly  sealed  from  the 
public  eye.  As  a  matter  of  fact  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
not  gifted  with  a  ready  perception  of  the  propriety 
of  things  in  all  cases.  Nothing  with  him  was 
intuitive.  To  have  profound  judgment  and  just 
discrimination  he  required  time  to  think;  and  if 
facts  or  events  were  forced  before  him  in  too  rapid 
succession  the  machinery  of  his  judgment  failed  to 
work.  A  knowledge  of  this  fact  will  account  for 
the  letter,  and  also  serve  to  rob  the  offence — if  any 
was  committed — of  half  its  severity. 

The  letter  was  written  in  the  same  month  Miss 
Owens  made  her  final  departure  from  Illinois. 

"SPRINGFIELD,  April  1,  1838. 
"DEAR  MADAM  : — - 

"Without  apologizing  for  being  egotistical,  I 
shall  make  the  history  of  so  much  of  my  life  as 
has  elapsed  since  I  saw  you  the  subject  of  this 
letter.  And,  by  the  way,  I  now  discover  that,  in 
order  to  give  a  full  and  intelligible  account  of  the 
things  I  have  done  and  suffered  since  I  saw  you,  I 
shall  necessarily  have  to  relate  some  that  happened 
before. 

"It  was,  then,  in  the  autumn  of  1836  that  a  mar- 


158  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

ried  lady  of  my  acquaintance  and  who  was  a  great 
friend  of  mine,  being  about  to  pay  a  visit  to  her 
father  and  other  relatives  residing  in  Kentucky, 
proposed  to  me  that  on  her  return  she  would  bring 
a  sister  of  hers  with  her  on  condition  that  I  would 
engage  to  become  her  brother-in-law  with  all  con 
venient  despatch.  I,  of  course,  accepted  the  pro 
posal,  for  you  know  I  could  not  have  done  other 
wise,  had  I  really  been  averse  to  it;  but  privately, 
between  you  and  me  I  was  most  confoundedly  well 
pleased  with  the  project.  I  had  seen  the  said  sister 
some  three  years  before,  thought  her  intelligent 
and  agreeable,  and  saw  no  good  objection  to  plod 
ding  life  through  hand  in  hand  with  her.  Time 
passed  on,  the  lady  took  her  journey,  and  in  due 
time  returned,  sister  in  company  sure  enough.  This 
astonished  me  a  little;  for  it  appeared  to  me  that 
her  coming  so  readily  showed  that  she  was  a  trifle 
too  willing;  but,  on  reflection,  it  occurred  to  me 
that  she  might  have  been  prevailed  on  by  her  mar 
ried  sister  to  come,  without  anything  concerning 
me  ever  having  been  mentioned  to  her;  and  so  I 
concluded  that,  if  no  other  objection  presented 
itself,  I  would  consent  to  waive  this.  All  this 
occurred  to  me  on  hearing  of  her  arrival  in  the 
neighborhood;  for,  be  it  remembered,  I  had  not  yet 
seen  her,  except  about  three  years  previous,  as 
above  mentioned.  In  a  few  days  we  had  an  inter 
view  ;  and,  although  I  had  seen  her  before,  she  did 
not  look  as  my  imagination  had  pictured  her.  I 
knew  she  was  over-size,  but  she  now  appeared  a  fair 
match  for  Falstaff.  I  knew  she  was  called  an  'old 
maid/  and  I  felt  no  doubt  of  the  truth  of  at  least 
half  of  the  appellation;  but  now,  when  I  beheld  her, 
I  could  not  for  my  life  avoid  thinking  of  my 
mother;  and  this,  not  from  withered  features,  for 
her  skin  was  too  full  of  fat  to  permit  of  its  contract 
ing  into  wrinkles,  but  from  her  want  of  teeth, 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  159 

weather-beaten  appearance  in  general,  and  from  a 
kind  of  notion  that  ran  in  my  head  that  nothing 
could  have  commenced  at  the  size  of  infancy  and 
reached  her  present  bulk  in  less  than  thirty-five  or 
forty  years;  and,  in  short,  I  was  not  at  all  pleased 
with  her.  But  what  could  I  do?  I  had  told  her 
sister  I  would  take  her  for  better  or  for  worse;  and 
I  made  a  point  of  honor  and  conscience  in  all  things 
to  stick  to  my  word,  especially  if  others  had  been 
induced  to  act  on  it,  which  in  this  case  I  had  no 
doubt  they  had;  for  I  was  now  fairly  convinced 
that  no  other  man  on  earth  would  have  her,  and 
hence  the  conclusion  that  they  were  bent  on  hold 
ing  me  to  my  bargain.  'Well/  thought  I,  'I  have 
said  it,  and,  be  the  consequences  what  they  may,  it 
shall  not  be  my  fault  if  I  fail  to  do  it.'  At  once  I 
determined  to  consider  her  my  wife;  and,  this  done, 
all  my  powers  of  discovery  were  put  to  work  in 
search  of  perfections  in  her  which  might  be  fairly 
set  off  against  her  defects.  I  tried  to  imagine  her 
handsome,  which,  but  for  her  unfortunate  corpu 
lency,  was  actually  true.  Exclusive  of  this,  no 
woman  that  I  have  ever  seen  has  a  finer  face.  I 
also  tried  to  convince  myself  that  the  mind  was 
much  more  to  be  valued  than  the  person;  and  in 
this  she  was  not  inferior,  as  I  could  discover,  to  any 
with  whom  I  had  been  acquainted. 

"Shortly  after  this,  without  coming  to  any  posi 
tive  understanding  with  her,  I  set  out  for  Vandalia, 
when  and  where  you  first  saw  me.  During  my  stay 
there  I  had  letters  from  her  which  did  not  change 
my  opinion  of  either  her  intellect  or  intention,  but 
on  the  contrary  confirmed  it  in  both. 

"All  this  while,  although  I  was  fixed,  'firm  as 
the  surge-repelling  rock,'  in  my  resolution,  I  found 
I  was  continually  repenting  the  rashness  which  had 
led  me  to  make  it.  Through  life,  I  have  been  in 
no  bondage,  either  real  or  imaginary,  from  the  thral- 


150  THE  L1FE  OF  LINCOLN. 

dom  of  which  I  so  much  desired  to  be  free.  After 
my  return  home,  I  saw  nothing  to  change  my  opin 
ions  of  her  in  any  particular.  She  was  the  same, 
and  so  was  I.  I  now  spent  my  time  in  planning  how 
I  might  get  along  through  life  after  my  contem 
plated  change  of  circumstances  should  have  taken 
place,  and  how  I  might  procrastinate  the  evil  day 
for  a  time,  which  I  really  dreaded  as  much,  perhaps 
more,  than  an  Irishman  does  the  halten. 

"After  all  my  suffering  upon  this  deeply  interest 
ing  subject,  here  I  am,  wholly,  unexpectedly,  com 
pletely,  out  of  the  'scrape';  and  now  I  want  to 
know  if  you  can  guess  how  I  got  out  of  it — out, 
clear,  in  every  sense  of  the  term;  no  violation  of 
word,  honor,  or  conscience.  I  don't  believe  you  can 
guess,  and  so  I  might  as  well  tell  you  at  once.  As 
the  lawyer  says,  it  was  done  in  the  manner  follow 
ing,  to-wit:  After  I  had  delayed  the  matter  as  long 
as  I  thought  I  could  in  honor  do  (which,  by  the 
way,  had  brought  me  round  into  the  last  fall),  T 
concluded  I  might  as  well  bring  it  to  a  consumma 
tion  without  further  delay;  and  so  I  mustered  my 
resolution,  and  made  the  proposal  to  her  direct; 
but,  shocking  to  relate,  she  answered,  No.  At  first 
I  supposed  she  did  it  through  an  affectation  of 
modesty,  which  I  thought  but  ill  became  her  under 
the  peculiar  circumstances  of  her  case;  but  on  my 
renewal  of  the  charge,  I  found  she  repelled  it  with 
greater  firmness  than  before.  I  tried  it  again  and 
again,  but  with  the  same  success,  or  rather  with  the 
same  want  of  succesa 

"I  finally  was  forced  to  give  it  up;  at  which  I 
very  unexpectedly  found  myself  mortified  almost 
beyond  endurance.  I  wras  mortified,  jt  seemed  to 
me,  in  a  hundred  different  ways.  My  vanity  was 
deeply  wounded  by  the  reflection  that  I  had  been 
too  stupid  to  discover  her  intentions,  and  at  the 
same  time  never  doubting  that  I  understood  them 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  161 

perfectly;  and  also  that  she,  whom  I  had  taught 
myself  to  believe  nobody  else  would  have,  had 
actually  rejected  me  with  all  my  fancied  greatness. 
And  to  cap  the  whole,  I  then  for  the  first  time 
began  to  suspect  that  I  was  really  a  little  in  love 
with  her.  But  let  it  all  go.  I'll  try  and  outlive 
it.  Others  have  been  made  fools  of  by  the  girls; 
but  this  can  never  with  truth  be  said  of  me.  I 
most  emphatically,  in  this  instance,  made  a  fool  of 
myself.  I  have  now  come  to  the  conclusion  never 
again  to  think  of  marrying,  and  for  this  reason:  I 
can  never  be  satisfied  with  any  one  who  would  be 
blockhead  enough  to  have  me. 

"When  you  receive  this,  write  me  a  long  yarn 
about  something  to  amuse  me.  Give  my  respects 
to  Mr.  Browning. 

"Your  sincere  friend, 

"A.  LINCOLN." 

MRS.  O.  H.  BROWNING. 

As  before  mentioned  Miss  Owens  was  afterwards 
married  and  became  the  mother  of  five  children. 
Two  of  her  sons  served  in  the  Confederate  army. 
She  died  July  4,  1877.  Speaking  of  Mr.  Lincoln  a 
short  time  before  her  death  she  referred  to  him  as 
"a  man  with  a  heart  full  of  human  kindness  and  a 
head  full  of  common-sense." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

IN  December,  1834,  Lincoln  prepared  himself  for 
the  Legislature  to  which  he  had  been  elected  by 
such  a  complimentary  majority.  Through  the  gen 
erosity  of  his  friend  Smoot  he  purchased  a  new  suit 
of  clothes,  and  entering  the  stage  at  New  Salem, 
rode  through  to  Vandalia,  the  seat  of  government. 
He  appreciated  the  dignity  of  his  new  position,  and 
instead  of  walking  to  the  capitol,  as  some  of  his 
biographers  have  contended,  availed  himself  of  the 
usual  mode  of  travel.  At  this  session  of  the  Legis 
lature  he  was  anything  but  conspicuous.  In  reality 
he  was  very  modest,  but  shrewd  enough  to  impress 
the  force  of  his  character  on  those  persons  whose 
influence  might  some  day  be  of  advantage  to  him. 
He  made  but  little  stir,  if  we  are  to  believe  the 
record,  during  the  whole  of  this  first  session.  Made 
a  member  of  the  committee  on  Public  Accounts 
and  Expenditures,  his  name  appears  so  seldom  in 
the  reports  of  the  proceedings  that  we  are  prone  to 
conclude  that  he  must  have  contented  himself  with 
listening  to  the  flashes  of  border  oratory  and  ab 
sorbing  his  due  proportion  of  parliamentary  law. 
He  was  reserved  in  manner,  but  very  observant ; 
said  little,  but  learned  much ;  made  the  acquaint 
ance  of  all  the  members  and  many  influential  per- 

162 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  163 

sons  on  the  outside.  The  lobby  at  that  day  con 
tained  the  representative  men  of  the  state — men  of 
acknowledged  prominence  and  respectability,  many 
of  them  able  lawyers,  drawn  thither  in  advocacy 
of  some  pet  bill.  Schemes  of  vast  internal  im 
provements  attracted  a  retinue  of  log-rollers,  who 
in  later  days  seem  to  have  been  an  indispensable 
necessity  in  the  movement  of  complicated  legisla 
tive  machinery.  Men  of  capital  and  brains  were 
there.  He  early  realized  the  importance  of  know 
ing  all  these,  trusting  to  the  inspiration  of  some 
future  hour  to  impress  them  with  his  skill  as  an 
organizer  or  his  power  as  an  orator.  Among  the 
members  of  the  outside  or  "third  body"  was 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  whom  Lincoln  then  saw  for 
the  first  time.  Douglas  had  come  from  Vermont 
only  the  year  before,  but  was  already  undertaking 
to  supplant  John  J.  Hardin  in  the  office  of  States 
Attorney  for  the  district  in  which  both  lived. 
What  impression  he  made  on  Lincoln,  what  opin 
ions  each  formed  of  the  other,  or  what  the  extent 
of  their  acquaintance  then  was,  we  do  not  know.  It 
is  said  that  Lincoln  afterwards  in  mentioning  their 
first  meeting  observed  of  the  newly-arrived  Ver- 
monter  that  he  was  the  "least  man  he  had  ever 
seen."  The  Legislature  proper  contained  the  youth 
and  blood  and  fire  of  the  frontier.  Some  of  the 
men  who  participated  in  these  early  parliament 
ary  battles  were  destined  to  carry  the  banners 
of  great  political  parties,  some  to  lead  in  war  and 
some  in  the  great  council  chamber  of  the  nation. 
Some  were  to  fill  the  Governor's  office,  others  to 


164  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

wear  the  judicial  ermine,  and  one  was  destined  to 
be  Chief  Magistrate  and  die  a  martyr  to  the  cause 
of  human  liberty. 

The  society  of  Vandalia  and  the  people  attracted 
thither  by  the  Legislature  made  it,  for  that  early 
day,  a  gay  place  indeed.  Compared  to  Lincoln's 
former  environments,  it  had  no  lack  of  refinement 
and  polish.  That  he  absorbed  a  good  deal  of  this 
by  contact  with  the  men  and  women  who  sur 
rounded  him  there  can  be  no  doubt.  The  "drift  of 
sentiment  and  the  sweep  of  civilization"  at  this 
time  can  best  be  measured  by  the  character  of  the 
legislation.  There  were  acts  to  incorporate  banks, 
turnpikes,  bridges,  insurance  companies,  towns, 
railroads,  and  female  academies.  The  vigor  and 
enterprise  of  New  England  fusing  with  the  illusory 
prestige  of  Kentucky  and  Virginia  was  fast  forming 
a  new  civilization  to  spread  over  the  prairies ! 
At  this  session  Lincoln  remained  quietly  in  the 
background,  and  contented  himself  with  the  intro 
duction  of  a  resolution  in  favor  of  securing  to  the 
State  a  part  of  the  proceeds  of  sales  of  public  lands 
within  its  limits.  With  this  brief  and  modest  rec 
ord  he  returned  to  his  constituents  at  New  Salem. 
With  zealous  perseverance,  he  renewed  his  applica 
tion  to  the  law  and  to  surveying,  continuing  his 
studies  in  both  departments  until  he  became,  as  he 
thought,  reliable  and  proficient.  By  reason  of  a 
change  in  the  office  of  Surveyor  for  the  county 
he  became  a  deputy  under  Thomas  M.  Neale,  who 
had  been  elected  to  succeed  John  Calhoun.  The 
speculation  in  lands  made  a  brisk  business  for  the 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  165 

new  surveyor,  who  even  added  Calhoun,  his  prede 
cessor,  to  the  list  of  deputies.  Lincoln  had  now 
become  somewhat  established  in  the  good-will  and 
respect  of  his  constituents.  His  bashfulness  and 
timidity  was  gradually  giving  way  to  a  feeling  of 
self-confidence,  and  he  began  to  exult  over  his  abil 
ity  to  stand  alone.  The  brief  taste  of  public  office 
which  he  had  just  enjoyed,  and  the  distinction  it 
gave  him  only  whetted  his  appetite  for  further  hon 
ors.  Accordingly,  in  1836  we  find  him  a  candidate 
for  the  Legislature  again.  I  well  remember  this 
campaign  and  the  election  which  followed,  for  my 
father,  Archer  G.  Herndon,  was  also  a  candidate, 
aspiring  to  a  seat  in  the  State  Senate.  The  leg 
islature  at  the  session  previous  had  in  its  apportion 
ment  bill  increased  the  delegation  from  Sangamon 
county  to  seven  Representatives  and  two  Sena 
tors.  Party  conventions  had  not  yet  been  invented, 
and  there  being  no  nominating  machinery  to  in 
terfere,  the  field  was  open  for  any  and  all  to  run. 
Lincoln  again  resorted,  in  opening  his  canvass,  to 
the  medium  of  the  political  handbill.  Although  it 
had  not  operated  with  the  most  satisfactory  results 
in  his  first  campaign,  yet  he  felt  willing  to  risk  it 
again.  Candidates  of  that  day  evinced  far  more 
willingness  to  announce  their  position  than  political 
aspirants  do  now.  Without  waiting  for  a  conven 
tion  to  construct  a  platform,  or  some  great  politi 
cal  leader  to  "sound  the  key-note  of  the  campaign," 
they  stepped  to  the  forefront  and  blew  the  bugle 
themselves.  This  custom  will  account  for  the  bold 
ness  of  Lincoln's  utterances  and  the  unequivocal 


165  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

tone  of  his  declarations.     His  card — a  sort  of  politi 
cal  fulmination — was  as  follows: 

"NEW  SALEM,  June  13,  1836. 
"To  the  Editor  of  The  Journal: 

"In  your  paper  of  last  Saturday  I  see  a  com 
munication  over  the  signature  of  "Many  Voters" 
in  which  the  candidates  who  are  announced  in  the 
Journal  are  called  upon  to  'show  their  hands.' 
Agreed.  Here's  mine: 

"I  go  for  all  sharing  the  privileges  of  the  govern 
ment  who  assist  in  bearing  its  burdens.  Conse 
quently,  I  go  for  admitting  all  whites  to  the  right 
of  suffrage  who  pay  taxes  or  bear  arms  (by  no 
means  excluding  females). 

"If  elected  I  shall  consider  the  whole  people  of 
Sangamon  my  constituents,  as  well  those  that 
oppose  as  those  that  support  me. 

"While  acting  as  their  Representative,  I  shall  be 
governed  by  their  will  on  all  subjects  upon  which  I 
have  the  means  of  knowing  what  their  will  is ;  and 
upon  all  others  I  shall  do  what  my  own  judg 
ment  teaches  me  will  best  advance  their  interests. 
Whether  elected  or  not,  I  go  for  distributing  the 
proceeds  of  the  sales  of  public  lands  to  the  several 
States  to  enable  our  State,  in  common  with  others, 
to  dig  canals  and  construct  railroads  without  bor 
rowing  money  and  paying  the  interest  on  it. 

"If  alive  on  the  first    Monday    in    November,    I 
shall  vote  for  Hugh  L.  White,  for  President. 
"Very  respectfully, 

"A.  LINCOLN/' 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  the  bold  and  decided 
stand  Lincoln  took — though  too  audacious  and 
emphatic  for  statesmen  of  a  later  day — suited  the 
temper  of  the  times.  Leaving  out  of  sight  his 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  \$J 

expressed  preference  for  White  of  Tennessee, — on 
whom  all  the  anti-Jackson  forces  were  disposed  to 
concentrate,  and  which  was  but  a  mere  question  of 
men, — there  is  much  food  for  thought  in  the  second 
paragraph.  His  broad  plan  for  universal  suffrage 
certainly  commends  itself  to  the  ladies,  and  we  need 
no  further  evidence  to  satisfy  our  minds  of  his  posi 
tion  on  the  subject  of  "Woman's  Rights,"  had  he 
lived.  In  fact,  I  cannot  refrain  from  noting  here 
what  views  he  in  after  years  held  with  reference  to 
the  great  questions  of  moral  and  social  reforms, 
under  which  he  classed  universal  suffrage,  temper 
ance,  and  slavery.  "All  such  questions,"  he  ob 
served  one  day,  as  we  were  discussing  temperance 
in  the  office,  "must  first  find  lodgment  with  the  most 
enlightened  souls  who  stamp  them  with  their  ap 
proval.  In  God's  own  time  they  will  be  organized 
into  law  and  thus  woven  into  the  fabric  of  our  in 
stitutions." 

The  canvass  which  followed  this  public  avowal  of 
creed,  was  more  exciting  than  any  which  had  pre 
ceded  it.  There  were  joint  discussions,  and,  at 
times,  much  feeling  was  exhibited.  Each  candidate 
had  his  friends  freely  distributed  through  the  crowd, 
and  it  needed  but  a  few  angry  interruptions  or 
insinuating  rejoinders  from  one  speaker  to  another 
to  bring  on  a  conflict  between  their  friends.  Fre 
quently  the  speakers  led  in  the  battle  themselves, 
as  in  the  case  of  Ninian  W.  Edwards — afterwards  a 
brother-in-law  of  Lincoln — who,  in  debate,  drew  a 
pistol  on  his  opponent  Achilles  Morris,  a  prominent 
Democrat.  An  interesting  relic  of  this  canvass 


168  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

recently  came  to  light,  in  a  letter  which  Mr.  Lin 
coln  wrote  a  week  after  he  had  announced  his  can 
didacy.  It  is  addressed  to  Colonel  Robert  Allen, 
a  Democratic  politician  of  local  prominence,  who 
had  been  circulating  some  charges  intended  to 
affect  Lincoln's  chances  of  election.  The  affair 
brought  to  the  surface  what  little  satire  there  was 
in  Lincoln's  nature,  and  he  administers — by  way  of 
innuendo — such  a  flaying  as  the  gallant  colonel 
doubtless  never  wanted  to  have  repeated.  The 
strangest  part  of  it  all  is  that  the  letter  was 
recently  found  and  given  to  the  public  by  Allen's 
own  son.*  It  is  as  follows: 

"NEW  SALEM,  June  21,  1836. 
"DEAR  COLONEL: 

"I  am  told  that  during  my  absence  last  week 
you  passed  through  the  place  and  stated  publicly 
that  you  were  in  possession  of  a  fact  or  facts, 
which  if  known  to  the  public  would  entirely  destroy 
the  prospects  of  N.  W.  Edwards  and  myself  at  the 
ensuing  election,  but  that  through  favor  to  us 
you  would  forbear  to  divulge  them.  No  one  has 
needed  favors  more  than  I,  and  generally  few  have 
been  less  unwilling  to  accept  them,  but  in  this  case 
favor  to  me  would  be  injustice  to  the  public,  and 
therefore  I  must  beg  your  pardon  for  declining 
it.  That  I  once  had  the  confidence  of  the  people 
of  Sangamon  county  is  sufficiently  evident;  and  if  I 
have  done  anything,  either  by  design  or  misadven 
ture,  which  if  known  would  subject  me  to  a  forfeit 
ure  of  that  confidence,  he  that  knows  of  that  thing, 
and  conceals  it,  is  a  traitor  to  his  country's  interest. 


*  The  MS.  Is  now  In  possession  of  the  Lincoln  Monument  Asso 
ciation  of  Springfield. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  169 

"I  find  myself  wholly  unable  to  form  any  conjec 
ture  of  what  fact  or  facts,  real  or  supposed,  you 
spoke;  but  my  opinion  of  your  veracity  will  not 
permit  me  for  a  moment  to  doubt  that  you  at  least 
believed  what  you  said.  I  am  flattered  with  the 
personal  regard  you  manifested  for  me;  but  I  do 
hope  that  on  mature  reflection  you  will  view  the 
public  interest  as  a  paramount  consideration  and 
therefore  let  the  worst  come. 

"I  assure  you  that  the  candid  statement  of  facts 
on  your  part,  however  low  it  may  sink  me,  shall 
never  break  the  ties  of  personal  friendship  between 
us. 

"I  wish  an  answer  to  this,  and  you  are  at  liberty 
to  publish  both  if  you  choose. 

"Very  respectfully, 

"A.  LINCOLN." 

COL.  ROBERT  ALLEN. 

Lincoln  was  sure  the  letter  never  would  be 
published  or  answered,  because  Allen  had  no  facts 
whatever  upon  which  to  base  any  such  charges. 
He  also  knew  that  Allen,  who  was  a  hide-bound 
Democrat,  was  in  politics  the  most  unreliable 
man  in  Sangamon  county.  A  vein  of  irony  runs 
all  through  the  letter,  especially  where  in  such  a 
delicate  way  he  pays  tribute  to  the  veracity  of 
Allen,  who,  although  a  generous  fellow  in  the  ordi 
nary  sense  of  the  term,  was  unlimited  in  exaggera 
tion  and  a  veritable  bag  of  wind.  The  effort  to 
smoke  him  out  seems  to  have  been  of  little  effect, 
but  enough  appears  in  Lincoln's  letter  to  show 
that  he  was  thoroughly  warmed  up. 

A  joint  debate  in  which  all  the  candidates  partic 
ipated,  took  place  on  the  Saturday  preceding  the 


170  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

election.  "The  speaking  began  in  the  forenoon," 
says  one  of  the  participants,  "the  candidates  speak 
ing  alternately  until  everyone  who  could  speak  had 
had  his  turn,  generally  consuming  the  whole  after 
noon.  "  Dr.  Early,  a  Democratic  candidate,  in  his 
speech  took  issue  with  Ninian  W.  Edwards,  stigma 
tizing  some  of  the  latter's  statements  as  untrue. 
This  brought  Edwards  to  his  feet  with  a  similar 
retort.  His  angry  tone  and  menacing  manner,  as 
he  mounted  a  table  and  with  clenched  fist  hurled 
defiance  at  his  challenger,  foreboded  a  tumultuous 
scene.  "The  excitement  that  followed,"  relates 
another  one  of  the  candidates,*  "was  intense — so 
much  so  that  fighting  men  thought  a  duel  must  settle 
the  difficulty.  Mr.  Lincoln  by  the  programme  fol 
lowed  Early.  Taking  up  the  subject  in  dispute,  he 
handled  it  so  fairly  and  with  such  ability,  all  were 
astonished  and  pleased."  The  turbulent  spirits 
were  quieted  and  the  difficulty  was  easily  overcome. 

Lincoln's  friend  Joshua  F.  Speed  relates  that  dur 
ing  this  campaign  he  made  a  speech  in  Springfield 
a  few  days  before  the  election.  "The  crowd  was 
large,"  says  Speed,  "and  great  numbers  of  his 
friends  and  admirers  had  come  in  from  the  country. 
I  remember  that  his  speech  was  a  very  able  one, 
using  with  great  power  and  originality  all  the  argu 
ments  used  to  sustain  the  principles  of  the  Whig 
party  as  against  its  great  rival,  the  Democratic 
party  of  that  day.  The  speech  produced  a  pro 
found  impression — the  crowd  was  with  him. 

*  R.  L.  Wilson,  letter,   Feb.   10,   1866,  MS. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  17 1 

George  Forquer,  an  old  citizen,  a  man  of  recognized 
prominence  and  ability  as  a  lawyer,  was  present. 
Forquer  had  been  a  Whig — one  of  the  champions 
of  the  party — but  had  then  recently  joined  the 
Democratic  party,  and  almost  simultaneous  with 
the  change  had  been  appointed  Register  of  the 
Land  Office,  which  office  he  then  held.  Just 
about  that  time  Mr.  Forquer  had  completed  a  neat 
frame  house — the  best  house  then  in  Springfield — 
and  over  it  had  erected  a  lightning  rod,  the  only 
one  in  the  place  and  the  first  one  Mr.  Lincoln  had 
ever  seen.  He  afterwards  told  me  that  seeing  For 
quer 's  lightning  rod  had  led  him  to  the  study  of  the 
properties  of  electricity  and  the  utility  of  the  rod 
as  a  conductor.  At  the  conclusion  of  Lincoln's 
speech  the  crowd  was  about  dispersing,  when  For 
quer  rose  and  asked  to  be  heard.  He  commenced 
by  saying  that  the  young  man  would  have  to  be 
taken  down,  and  was  sorry  the  task  devolved  on 
him.  He  then  proceeded  to  answer  Lincoln's 
speech  in  a  style  which,  while  it  was  able  and  fair, 
in  his  whole  manner  asserted  and  claimed  superi 
ority."  Lincoln  stood  a  few  steps  away  with  arms 
folded,  carefully  watching  the  speaker  and  taking  in 
everything  he  said.  He  was  laboring  under  a  good 
deal  of  suppressed  excitement.  Forquer's  sting 
had  roused  the  lion  within  him.  At  length  For 
quer  concluded,  and  he  mounted  the  stand  to  reply. 

"I  have  heard  him  often  since,"  continued  Speed, 
"in  the  courts  and  before  the  people,  but  never  saw 
him  appear  and  acquit  himself  so  well  as  upon  that 
occasion.  His  reply  to  Forquer  was  characterized 


172  ?HE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

by  great  dignity  and  force.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
conclusion  of  that  speech:  'Mr.  Forquer  com 
menced  his  speech  by  announcing  that  the  young 
man  would  have  to  be  taken  down.  It  is  for  you, 
fellow  citizens,  not  for  me  to  say  whether  I  am  up 
or  down.  The  gentleman  has  seen  fit  to  allude  to 
my  being  a  young  man;  but  he  forgets  that  I  am 
older  in  years  than  I  am  in  the  tricks  and  trades  of 
politicians.  I  desire  to  live,  and  I  desire  place  and 
distinction;  but  I  would  rather  die  now  than,  like 
the  gentleman,  live  to  see  the  day  that  I  would 
change  my  politics  for  an  office  worth  three  thou 
sand  dollars  a  year,  and  then  feel  compelled  to  erect 
a  lightning  rod  to  protect  a  guilty  conscience  from 
an  offended  God/  "  The  effect  of  this  rejoinder  was 
wonderful,  and  gave  Forquer  and  his  lightning 
rod  a  notoriety  the  extent  of  which  no  one  envied 
him. 

In  the  election  which  followed,  Sangamon  county 
in  a  political  sense  was  entirely  turned  over.  Hith 
erto  the  Democrats  had  always  carried  it,  but  now 
the  Whigs  gained  control  by  an  average  majority  of 
four  hundred.  This  time  Lincoln  led  his  ticket. 
The  nine  elected  were,  Abraham  Lincoln,  Ninian 
W.  Edwards,  John  Dawson,  Andrew  McCormick, 
Dan  Stone,  Wm.  F.  Elkin,  Robert  L.  Wilson, 
Job  Fletcher,  and  Archer  G.  Herndon.  The  last 
two  were  senators.  On  assembling  at  Vandalia 
they  were  at  once,  on  account  of  their  stature, 
dubbed  the  "Long  Nine."  In  height  they  averaged 
over  six  feet,  and  in  weight  over  two  hundred 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  173 

pounds.  "We  were  not  only  noted,"  says  one*  of 
them,  "for  our  number  and  length,  but  for  our 
combined  influence.  All  the  bad  or  objectional 
laws  passed  at  that  session  of  the  Legislature  and 
for  many  years  afterwards  were  chargeable  to  the 
management  and  influence  of  the  'Long  Nine/ " 
It  is  not  my  purpose  to  enter  into  a  detailed  ac 
count  of  legislation  at  this  period  or  to  rehearse 
the  history  of  the  political  conditions.  Many  and 
ingenious  were  the  manoeuvres,  but  it  would  fill  page 
after  page  to  narrate  them.  One  thing  which  de 
serves  mention  in  passing  was  "that  Yankee  con 
trivance,"  the  convention  system,  which  for  the 
first  time  was  brought  into  use.  The  Democrats,  in 
obedience  to  the  behests  of  Jackson,  had  adopted 
it,  and,  singularly  enough,  among  the  very  first 
named  for  office  under  the  operation  of  the  new 
system  was  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who  was  elected  to 
the  Legislature  from  Morgan  county.  Its  introduc 
tion  was  attributed  to  Ebenezer  Peck,  of  Chicago, 
a  Democrat  who  had  once,  it  was  said,  served  in 
the  Canadian  Parliament.  This  latter  supposed 
connection  with  a  monarchical  institution  was  suffi 
cient  to  bring  down  on  his  head  the  united  hostility 
of  the  Whigs,  a  feeling  in  which  even  Lincoln 
joined.  But  after  witnessing  for  a  time  the  wonder 
ful  effects  of  its  discipline  in  Democratic  ranks, 
the  Whigs  too  fell  in,  and  resorted  to  the  use  of 
the  improved  machinery. 

The  Legislature  of   which   Mr.   Lincoln  thus   be- 

•  R.  L.  Wilson,  MS. 


174  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

came  a  member  was  one  that  will  never  be  for 
gotten  in  Illinois.  Its  legislation  in  aid  of  the 
so-called  internal  improvement  system  was  sig 
nificantly  reckless  and  unwise.  The  gigantic  and 
stupendous  operations  of  the  scheme  dazzled  the 
eyes  of  nearly  everybody,  but  in  the  end  it  rolled 
up  a  debt  so  enormous  as  to  impede  the  otherwise 
marvelous  progress  of  Illinois.  The  burdens  im 
posed  by  this  Legislature  under  the  guise  of 
improvements  became  so  monumental  in  size  it  is 
little  wonder  that  at  intervals  for  years  afterward  the 
monster  of  repudiation  often  showed  its  hideous 
face  above  the  waves  of  popular  indignation. 
These  attempts  at  a  settlement  of  the  debt  brought 
about  a  condition  of  things  which  it  is  said  led  the 
Little  Giant,  in  one  of  his  efforts  on  the  stump,  to 
suggest  that  "Illinois  ought  to  be  honest  if  she 
never  paid  a  cent."  However  much  we  may  regret 
that  Lincoln  took  part  and  aided  in  this  reckless  leg 
islation,  we  must  not  forget  that  his  party  and  all  his 
constitutents  gave  him  their  united  endorsement. 
They  gave  evidence  of  their  approval  of  his  course 
by  two  subsequent  elections  to  the  same  office.  It 
has  never  surprised  me  in  the  least  that  Lincoln  fell 
so  harmoniously  in  with  the  great  system  of  im 
provement.  He  never  had  what  some  people  call 
"money  sense."  By  reason  of  his  peculiar  nature 
and  construction  he  was  endowed  with  none  of  the 
elements  of  a  political  economist.  He  was  en 
thusiastic  and  theoretical  to  a  certain  degree; 
could  take  hold  of,  and  wrap  himself  up  in,  a  great 
moral  question;  but  in  dealing  with  the  financial 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  175 

and  commercial  interests  of  a  community  or  gov 
ernment  he  was  equally  as  inadequate  as  he  was 
ineffectual  in  managing  the  economy  of  his  own 
household.  In  this  respect  alone  I  always  regarded 
Mr.  Lincoln  as  a  weak  man. 

One  of  his  biographers,  describing  his  legislative 
career  at  this  time,  says  of  him:  "He  was  big  with 
prospects:  his  real  public  service  was  just  now 
about  to  begin.  In  the  previous  Legislature  he  had 
been  silent,  observant,  studious.  He  had  improved 
the  opportunity  so  well  that  of  all  men  in  this  new 
body,  of  equal  age  in  the  service,  he  was  the 
smartest  parliamentarian  and  cunningest  'log  roller/ 
He  was  fully  determined  to  identify  himself  conspic 
uously  with  the  liberal  legislation  in  contemplation, 
and  dreamed  of  a  fame  very  different  from  that 
which  he  actually  obtained  as  an  anti-slavery  leader. 
It  was  about  this  time  he  told  his  friend  Speed  that 
he  aimed  at  the  great  distinction  of  being  called  the 
'DeWitt  Clinton  of  Illinois/  " 

The  representatives  in  the  Legislature  from  San- 
gamon  county  had  been  instructed  by  a  mass  con 
vention  of  their  constituents  to  vote  "for  a  general 
system  of  internal  improvements."  Another  con 
vention  of  delegates  from  all  the  counties  in  the 
State  met  at  Vandalia  and  made  a  similar  recom 
mendation  to  the  members  of  the  Legislature, 
specifying  that  it  should  be  "commensurate  with  the 
wants  of  the  people."  Provision  was  made  for  a 
gridiron  of  railroads.  The  extreme  points  of  the 
State,  east  and  west,  north  and  south,  were  to  be 
brought  together  by  thirteen  hundred  miles  of  iron 


176  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

rails.  Every  river  and  stream  of  the  least  impor 
tance  was  to  be  widened,  deepened,  and  made 
navigable.  A  canal  to  connect  the  Illinois  River 
and  Lake  Michigan  was  to  be  dug,  and  thus  the 
great  system  was  to  be  made  "commensurate  with 
the  wants  of  the  people."  To  effect  all  these  great 
ends,  a  loan  of  twelve  million  dollars  was  authorized 
before  the  session  closed.  Work  on  all  these  gigan 
tic  enterprises  was  to  begin  at  the  earliest  prac 
ticable  moment;  cities  were  to  spring  up  every 
where;  capital  from  abroad  was  to  come  pouring  in; 
attracted  by  the  glowing  reports  of  marvelous 
progress  and  great  internal  wealth,  people  were  to 
come  swarming  in  by  colonies,  until  in  the  end 
Illinois  was  to  outstrip  all  the  others,  and  herself 
become  the  Empire  State  of  the  Union. 

Lincoln  served  on  the  Committee  on  Finance, 
and  zealously  labored  for  the  success  of  the  great 
measures  proposed,  believing  they  would  ultimately 
enrich  the  State,  and  redound  to  the  glory  of  all 
who  aided  in  their  passage.  In  advocating  these 
extensive  and  far-reaching  plans  he  was  not  alone. 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  John  A.  McClernand,  James 
Shields,  and  others  prominent  in  the  subsequent 
history  of  the  State,  were  equally  as  earnest  in  es 
pousing  the  cause  of  improvement,  and  sharing 
with  him  the  glory  that  attended  it.  Next  in 
importance  came  the  bill  to  remove  the  seat  of 
government  from  Vandalia.  Springfield,  of  course, 
wanted  it.  So  also  did  Alton,  Decatur,  Peoria, 
Jacksonville,  and  Illiopolis.  But  the  Long  Nine, 
by  their  adroitness  and  influence,  were  too  much 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  177 

for  their  contestants.  They  made  a  bold  fight  for 
Springfield,  intrusting  the  management  of  the  bill 
to  Lincoln.  The  friends  of  other  cities  fought 
Springfield  bitterly,  but  under  Lincoln's  leadership 
the  Long  Nine  contested  with  them  every  inch  of 
the  way.  The  struggle  was  warm  and  protracted. 
"Its  enemies,"  relates  one  of  Lincoln's  colleagues,* 
"laid  it  on  the  table  twice.  In  those  darkest  hours 
when  our  bill  to  all  appearances  was  beyond  resusci 
tation,  and  all  our  opponents  were  jubilant  over  our 
defeat,  and  when  friends  could  see  no  hope,  Mr. 
Lincoln  never  for  one  moment  despaired;  but 
collecting  his  colleagues  to  his  room  for  consulta 
tion,  his  practical  common-sense,  his  thorough 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  then  made  him  an 
overmatch  for  his  compeers  and  for  any  man  that  I 
have  ever  known."  The  friends  of  the  bill  at  last 
surmounted  all  obstacles,  and  only  a  day  or  two 
before  the  close  of  the  session  secured  its  passage 
by  a  joint  vote  of  both  houses. 

Meanwhile  the  great  agitation  against  human 
slavery,  which  like  a  rare  plant  had  flourished  amid 
the  hills  of  New  England  in  luxuriant  growth, 
began  to  make  its  appearance  in  the  West.  Mis 
sionaries  in  the  great  cause  of  human  liberty  were 
settling  everywhere.  Taunts,  jeers,  ridicule,  perse 
cution,  assassination  even,  were  destined  to  prove 
ineffectual  in  the  effort  to  suppress  or  exterminate 
these  pioneers  of  Abolitionism.  These  brave  but 
derided  apostles  carried  with  them  the  seed  of  a 

•  R.  L.  Wilson,  MS. 


178  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

great  reform.  Perhaps,  as  was  then  said  of  them, 
they  were  somewhat  in  advance  of  their  season,  and 
perhaps  too,  some  of  the  seed  might  be  sown  in 
sterile  ground  and  never  come  to  life,  but  they 
comforted  themselves  with  the  assurance  that  it 
would  not  all  die.  A  litttle  here  and  there  was 
destined  to  grow  to  life  and  beauty. 

It  is  not  surprising,  I  think,  that  Lincoln  should 
have  viewed  this  New  England  importation  with 
mingled  suspicion  and  alarm.  Abstractly,  and 
from  the  standpoint  of  conscience,  he  abhorred 
slavery.  But  born  in  Kentucky,  and  surrounded  as 
he  was  by  slave-holding  influences,  absorbing  their 
prejudices  and  following  in  their  line  of  thought,  it 
is  not  strange,  I  repeat,  that  he  should  fail  to  esti 
mate  properly  the  righteous  indignation  and  unre 
strained  zeal  of  a  Yankee  Abolitionist.  On  the 
last  day  but  one  of  the  session,  he  solicited  his 
colleagues  to  sign  with  him  a  mild  and  carefully 
worded  protest  against  certain  resolutions  on  the 
subject  of  domestic  slavery,  which  had  been  passed 
by  both  houses  of  the  Legislature.  They  all 
declined,  however,  save  one,  Dan  Stone,*  who  with 


*  Following  are  the  resolutions  against  the  passage  of  which 
Lincoln  and  Stone  made  their  protest : 

Resolved  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois : 
That  we  highly  disapprove  of  the  formation  of  Abolition  socie 
ties  and  of  the  doctrines  promulgated  by  them, 

That  the  right  of  property  in  slaves  is  sacred  to  the  slave- 
holding  States  by  the  Federal  Constitution,  and  that  they  cannot 
be  deprived  of  that  right  without  their  consent, 

"Hiat  the  General  Government  cannot  abolish  slavery  in  the 


TEE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 


his  associate  will  probably  be  known  long  after 
mention  of  all  other  members  of  the  Long  Nine 
has  dropped  from  history.  The  language  and 
sentiment  are  clearly  Lincolnian,  and  over  twenty 
years  afterward,  when  it  was  charged  that  Lincoln 
was  an  Abolitionist,  and  this  protest  was  cited  as 
proof,  it  was  only  necessary  to  call  for  a  careful 
reading  of  the  paper  for  an  unqualified  and  over 
whelming  refutation  of  the  charge.  The  records  of 
the  Legislature  for  March  3,  1837,  contain  this 
entry  : 

"Resolutions  upon  the  subject  of  domestic 
slavery  having  passed  both  branches  of  the  General 
Assembly  at  its  present  session,  the  undersigned 
hereby  protest  against  the  passage  of  the  same. 

"They  believe  that  the  institution  of  slavery  is 
founded  on  both  injustice  and  bad  policy,  but  that 
the  promulgation  of  abolition  doctrines  tends 
rather  to  increase  than  abate  its  evils. 

"They  believe  that  the  Congress  of    the    United 

States    has    no    power    under    the  Constitution    to 

interfere  with  the  institution  of  slavery  in  the 
different  States. 

"They  believe  that  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States  has  the  power  under  the  Constitution  to 
abolish  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  but  that 
the  power  ought  not  to  be  exercised  unless  at  the 
request  of  the  people  of  the  District. 


District  of  Columbia  against  the  consent  of  the  citizens  of  said 
District,  without  a  manifest  breach  of  good  faith, 

That  the  Governor  be  requested  to  transmit  to  the  States  of 
Virginia,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  New  York,  and  Connecticut,  a 
copy  of  the  foregoing  report  and  resolutions. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 


"The  difference  between  these  opinions  and 
those  contained  in  the  above  resolutions  is  their 

reason  for  entering  this  protest. 

"DAN  STONE, 

"A.  LINCOLN, 
"Representatives  from  the  county   of   Sangamon." 

This  document  so  adroitly  drawn  and  worded, 
this  protest  pruned  of  any  offensive  allusions,  and 
cautiously  framed  so  as  to  suit  the  temper  of  the 
times,  stripped  of  its  verbal  foliage  reveals  in 
naked  grandeur  the  solemn  truth  that  "the  institu 
tion  of  slavery  is  founded  on  both  injustice  and  bad 
policy."  A  quarter  of  a  century  later  finds  one  of 
these  protesters  righting  the  injustice  and  correct 
ing  the  bad  policy  of  the  inhuman  and  diabol 
ical  institution. 

The  return  of  the  "Long  Nine"  to  Springfield 
was  the  occasion  of  much  enthusiasm  and  joy. 
The  manifestations  of  public  delight  had  never 
been  equalled  before,  save  when  the  steamer  Talis 
man  made  its  famous  trip  down  the  Sangamon  in 
1831.  The  returning  legislators  were  welcomed 
with  public  dinners  and  the  effervescent  buncombe 
of  local  orators.  Amid  the  congratulations  of  warm 
friends  and  the  approval  of  their  enthusiastic 
constituents,  in  which  Lincoln  received  the  lion's 
share  of  praise,  they  separated,  each  departing  to 
his  own  home. 

After  his  return  from  the  Legislature,  Lincoln 
determined  to  remove  to  Springfield,  the  county 
seat,  and  begin  the  practice  of  the  law.  Having 
been  so  instrumental  in  securing  the  removal  of  the 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  181 

State  Capital  from  Vandalia,  and  having  received 
such  encouraging  assurances  from  Major  John  T. 
Stuart  and  other  leading  citizens,  he  felt  confident 
of  a  good  start.*  He  had  little,  if  any,  money,  but 
hoped  to  find  in  Springfield,  as  he  had  in  New 
Salem,  good  and  influential  friends,  who,  recogniz 
ing  alike  his  honesty  and  his  nobility  of  character, 
would  aid  him  whenever  a  crisis  came  and  their 
help  was  needed.  In  this  hope  he  was  by  no 
means  in  error,  for  his  subsequent  history  shows 
that  he  indeed  united  his  friends  to  himself  with 
hooks  of  steel.  I  had  up  to  this  time  frequently 
seen  Mr.  Lincoln — had  often,  while  visiting  my 
cousins,  James  and  Rowan  Herndon,  at  New  Salem, 
met  him  at  their  house — but  became  warmly  at 
tached  to  him  soon  after  his  removal  to  Springfield. 
There  was  something  in  his  tall  and  angular  frame, 
his  ill-fitting  garments,  honest  face,  and  lively 
humor  that  imprinted  his  individuality  on  my  affec 
tion  and  regard.  What  impression  I  made  on  him  I 
had  no  means  of  knowing  till  many  years  afterward. 
He  was  my  senior  by  nine  years,  and  I  looked  up  to 
him,  naturally  enough,  as  my  superior  in  everything — 
a  thing  I  continued  to  do  till  the  end  of  his  days. 


*  Lincoln  used  to  come  to  our  office — Stuart's  and  mine — in 
Springfield  from  New  Salem  and  borrow  law-books.  Sometimes 
he  walked  but  generally  rode.  He  was  the  most  uncouth  look 
ing  young-  man  I  ever  saw.  He  seemed  to  have  but  little  to 
say ;  seemed  to  feel  timid,  with  a  tinge  of  sadness  visible  in  the 
countenance,  but  when  he  did  talk  all  this  disappeared  for  the 
time  and  he  demonstrated  that  he  was  both  strong  and  acute. 
He  surprised  us  more  and  more  at  every  visit." — Henry  B. 
Dummer,  Statement,  Sept.  16th,  1865. 


182  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

Now  that  the  State  capital  was  to  be  located  at 
Springfield,  that  place  began,  by  way  of  asserting 
its  social  superiority,  to  put  on  a  good  many  airs. 
Wealth  made  its  'gaudy  display,  and  thus  sought 
to  attain  a  pre-eminence  from  which  learning  and 
refinement  are  frequently  cut  off.  Already,  people 
had  settled  there  who  could  trace  their  descent 
down  a  long  line  of  distinguished  ancestry.  The 
established  families  were  mainly  from  Kentucky. 
They  re-echoed  the  sentiments  and  reflected  the 
arrogance  and  elegance  of  a  slave-holding  aristoc 
racy.  "The  Todds,  Stuarts,  and  Edwardses  were 
there,  with  priests,  dogs,  and  servants ;"  there  also 
were  the  Mathers,  Lambs,  Opdykes,  Forquers,  and 
Fords.  Amid  all  "the  flourishing  about  in  car 
riages"  and  the  pretentious  elegance  of  that  early 
day  was  Lincoln.  Of  origin,  doubtful  if  not  un 
known  ;  "poor,  without  the  means  of  hiding  his 
poverty,"  he  represented  yet  another  importation 
from  Kentucky  which  is  significantly  comprehended 
by  the  terms,  "the  poor  whites."  Springfield,  con 
taining  between  one  and  two  thousand  people,  was 
near  the  northern  line  of  settlement  in  Illinois. 
Still  it  was  the  center  of  a  limited  area  of  wealth 
and  refinement.  Its  citizens  were  imbued  with  the 
spirit  of  push  and  enterprise.  Lincoln  therefore 
could  not  have  been  thrown  into  a  better  or  more 
appreciative  community. 

In  March,  1837,  he  was  licensed  to  practice  law. 
His  name  appears  for  the  first  time  as  attorney 
for  the  plaintiff  in  the  case  of  Hawthorne  vs.  Wool- 
ridge.  He  entered  the  office  and  became  the 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  183 

partner  of  his  comrade  in  the  Black  Hawk  war, 
John  T.  Stuart,  who  had  gained  rather  an  exten 
sive  practice,  and  who,  by  the  loan  of  sundry  text 
books  several  years  before,  had  encouraged  Lin 
coln  to  continue  in  the  study  of  law.  Stuart  had 
emigrated  from  Kentucky  in  1828,  and  on  account 
of  his  nativity,  if  for  no  other  reason,  had  great 
influence  with  the  leading  people  in  Springfield. 
He  used  to  relate  that  on  the  next  morning  after 
his  arrival  in  Springfield  he  was  standing  in  front  of 
the  village  store,  leaning  against  a  post  in  the  side 
walk  and  wondering  how  to  introduce  himself  to 
the  community,  when  he  was  approached  by  a  well- 
dressed  old  gentleman,  who,  interesting  himself  in 
the  newcomer's  welfare,  enquired  after  his  history 
and  business.  "I'm  from  Kentucky,"  answered 
Stuart,  "and  my  profession  is  that  of  a  lawyer,  sir. 
What  is  the  prospect  here?"  Throwing  his  head 
back  and  closing  his  left  eye  the  old  gentleman 

reflected    a    moment.     "Young    man,    d d     slim 

chance  for  that  kind  of  combination  here,"  was 
the  response. 

At  the  time  of  Lincoln's  entry  into  the  office, 
Stuart  was  just  recovering  from  the  effects  of  a 
congressional  race  in  which  he  had  been  the  loser. 
He  was  still  deeply  absorbed  in  politics,  and  was 
preparing  for  the  next  canvass,  in  which  he  was  fin 
ally  successful — defeating  the  wily  and  ambitious 
Stephen  A.  Douglas.  In  consequence  of  the  politi 
cal  allurments,  Stuart  did  not  give  to  the  law  his 
undivided  time  or  the  full  force  of  his  energy  and 
intellect.  Thus  more  or  less  responsibility  in  the 


184  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

management  of  business  and  the  conduct  of  cases 
soon  devolved  on  Lincoln.  The  entries  in  the  ac 
count  books  of  the  firm  are  all  in  the  handwrit 
ing  of  Lincoln.  Most  of  the  declarations  and  pleas 
were  written  by  him  also.  This  sort  of  exercise 
was  never  congenial  to  him,  and  it  was  the  only 
time,  save  a  brief  period  under  Judge  Logan, 
that  he  served  as  junior  partner  and  performed 
the  labor  required  of  one  who  serves  in  that  rather 
subordinate  capacity.  He  had  not  yet  learned  to 
love  work.  The  office  of  the  firm  was  in  the  upper 
story  of  a  building  opposite  the  north-west  corner 
of  the  present  Court-house  Square.  In  the  room 
underneath,  the  county  court  was  held.  The  fur 
niture  was  in  keeping  with  the  pretensions  of  the 
firm — a  small  lounge  or  bed,  a  chair  containing  a 
buffalo  robe,  in  which  the  junior  member  was  wont 
to  sit  and  study,  a  hard  wooden  bench,  a  feeble  at 
tempt  at  a  book-case,  and  a  table  which  answered 
for  a  desk.  Lincoln's  first  attempt  at  settlement 
in  Springfield,  which  preceded  a  few  days  his  part 
nership  with  Stuart,  has  been  graphically  described 
by  his  friend,  Joshua  F.  Speed,  who  generously 
offered  to  share  his  quarters  with  the  young  legal 
aspirant.  Speed,  who  was  a  prosperous  young  mer 
chant,  reports  that  Lincoln's  personal  effects  con 
sisted  of  a  pair  of  saddle-bags  containing  two  or 
three  law  books  and  a  few  pieces  of  clothing.  "He 
had  ridden  into  town  on  a  borrowed  horse/'  relates 
Speed,  "and  engaged  from  the  only  cabinet-maker 
in  the  village  a  single  bedstead.  He  came  into  my 
store,  set  his  saddle-bags  on-  the  counter,  and  en- 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  185 

quired  what  the  furniture  for  a  single  bedstead 
would  cost.  I  took  slate  and  pencil,  made  a 
calculation,  and  found  the  sum  for  furniture  com 
plete  would  amount  to  seventeen  dollars  in  all. 
Said  he:  'It  is  probably  cheap  enough;  but  I 
want  to  say  that,  cheap  as  it  is,  I  have  not  the 
money  to  pay.  But  if  you  will  credit  me  until 
Christmas,  and  my  experiment  here  as  a  lawyer  is 
a  success,  I  will  pay  you  then.  If  I  fail  in  that  I 
will  probably  never  pay  you  at  all.'  The  tone 
of  his  voice  was  so  melancholy  that  I  felt  for 
him.  I  looked  up  at  him  and  I  thought  then,  as  I 
think  now,  that  I  never  saw  so  gloomy  and  melan 
choly  a  face  in  my  life.  I  said  to  him,  'So  small  a 
debts  seems  to  affect  you  so  deeply,  I  think  I  can 
suggest  a  plan  by  which  you  will  be  able  to  attain 
your  end  without  incurring  any  debt.  I  have  a 
very  large  room  and  a  very  large  double  bed  in  it, 
which  you  are  perfectly  welcome  to  share  with  me 
if  you  choose.'  'Where  is  your  room?'  he  asked. 
'Upstairs,'  said  I,  pointing  to  the  stairs  leading 
from  the  store  to  my  room.  Without  saying  a 
word  he  took  his  saddle-bags  on  his  arm,  went  up 
stairs,  set  them  down  on  the  floor,  came  down  again, 
and  with  a  face  beaming  with  pleasure  and  smiles, 
exclaimed,  'Well,  Speed,  I'm  moved.'  ' 

William  Butler,  who  was  prominent  in  the  re 
moval  of  the  capital  from  Vandalia  to  Springfield, 
took  no  little  interest  in  Lincoln,  while  a  member 
of  the  Legislature.  After  his  removal  to  Spring 
field,  Lincoln  boarded  at  Butler's  house  for  several 
years.  He  became  warmly  attached  to  the  family, 


186  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

and  it  is  probable  the  matter  of  pay  never  entered 
Butler's  mind.  He  was  not  only  able  but  willing 
to  befriend  the  young  lawyer  in  this  and  many 
other  ways. 

Stephen  T.  Logan  was  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court, 
and  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was  prosecuting  attorney. 
Among  the  attorneys  we  find  many  promising 
spirits.  Edward  D.  Baker,  John  T.  Stuart,  Cyrus 
Walker,  Samuel  H.  Treat,  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  George 
Forquer,  Dan  Stone,  Ninian  W.  Edwards,  John  J. 
Hardin,  Schuyler  Strong,  A.  T.  Bledsoe,  and  Josiah 
Lamborn — a  galaxy  of  names,  each  destined  to 
shed  more  or  less  lustre  on  the  history  of  the  State. 
While  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  Lincoln  did 
not,  after  entering  Stuart's  office,  do  as  much  deep 
and  assiduous  studying  as  people  generally  credit 
him  with,  yet  I  am  confident  he  absorbed  not  a 
little  learning  by  contact  with  the  great  minds  who 
thronged  about  the  courts  and  State  Capitol.  The 
books  of  Stuart  and  Lincoln,  during  1837,  show  a 
practice  more  extensive  than  lucrative,  for  while 
they  received  a  number  of  fees,  only  two  or  three 
of  them  reached  fifty  dollars;  and  one  of  these  has 
a  credit  of :  "Coat  to  Stuart,  $15.00,"  showing  that 
they  were  compelled,  now  and  then,  even  to  "trade 
out"  their  earnings.  The  litigation  was  as  limited 
in  importance  as  in  extent.  There  were  no  great 
corporations,  as  in  this  progressive  day,  retaining 
for  counsel  the  brains  of  the  bar  in  every  county 
seat,  but  the  greatest  as  well  as  the  least  had  to  join 
the  general  scramble  for  practice.  The  courts  con 
sumed  as  much  time  deciding  who  had  committed 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  187 

an  assault  or  a  trespass  on  a  neighbor's  ground,  as 
it  spent  in  the  solution  of  questions  arising  on  con 
tracts,  or  unravelling  similar  legal  complications. 
Lawyers  depended  for  success,  not  on  their  knowl 
edge  of  the  law  or  their  familiarity  with  its  under 
lying  principles,  but  placed  their  reliance  rather  on 
their  frontier  oratory  and  the  influence  of  their 
personal  bearing  before  the  jury. 

Lincoln  made  Speed's  store  headquarters.  There 
politics,  religion,  and  all  other  subjects  were  dis 
cussed.  There  also  public  sentiment  was  made. 

The  store  had  a  large  fire-place  in  the  rear,  and 
around  it  the  lights  of  the  town  collected  every 
evening.  As  the  sparks  flew  from  the  crackling 
logs,  another  and  more  brilliant  fire  flashed  when 
these  great  minds  came  into  collision.  Here  were 
wont  to  gather  Lincoln,  Douglas,  Baker,  Calhoun, 
Browning,  Lamborn,  Jesse  B.  Thomas  and  others. 
Only  those  who  were  present  and  listened  to  these 
embryonic  statesmen  and  budding  orators  will  ever  be 
able  to  recall  their  brilliant  thoughts  and  appreciate 
their  youthful  enthusiasm.  In  the  fall  and  winter 
of  1837,  while  I  was  attending  college  at  Jackson 
ville,  the  persecution  and  death  of  Elijah  P.  Love- 
joy  at  Alton  took  place.  This  cruel  and  uncalled- 
for  murder  had  aroused  the  anti-slavery  sentiment 
everywhere.  It  penetrated  the  college,  and  both 
faculty  and  students  were  loud  and  unrestrained  in 
their  denunciation  of  the  crime.  My  father,  who 
was  thoroughly  pro-slavery  in  his  ideas,  believing 
that  the  college  was  too  strongly  permeated  with 
the  virus  of  Abolitionism,  forced  me  to  withdraw 


183  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

from  the  institution  and  return  home.  But  it  was 
too  late.  My  :>oul  had  absorbed  too  much  of  what 
my  father  believed  was  rank  poison.  The  mur 
der  of  Love  joy  filled  me  with  more  desperation 
than  the  slave  scene  in  New  Orleans  did  Lincoln; 
for  while  he  believed  in  non-interference  with 
slavery,  so  long  as  the  Constitution  permitted  and 
authorized  its  existence,  I,  although  acting  nomi 
nally  with  the  Whig  party  up  to  1853,  struck  out 
for  Abolitionism  pure  and  simple. 

On  my  return  to  Springfield  from  college,  I  hired 
to  Joshua  F.  Speed  as  clerk  in  his  store.  My 
salary,  seven  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  was  con 
sidered  good  pay  then.  Speed,  Lincoln,  Charles 
R.  Hurst,  and  I  slept  in  the  room  upstairs  over 
the  store.  I  had  worked  for  Speed  before  going  to 
college,  and  after  hiring  to  him  this  time  again, 
continued  in  his  employ  for  several  years.  The 
young  men  who  congregated  about  the  store 
formed  a  society  for  the  encouragement  of  debate 
and  literary  efforts.  Sometimes  we  would  meet  in 
a  lawyer's  office  and  often  in  Speed's  room.  Be 
sides  the  debates,  poems  and  other  original  pro 
ductions  were  read.  Unfortunately  we  ruled  out 
the  ladies.  I  am  free  to  admit  I  would  not  encour 
age  a  similar  thing  nowadays;  but  in  that  early 
day  the  young  men  had  not  the  comforts  of  books 
and  newspapers  which  are  within  the  reach  of 
every  boy  now.  Some  allowance  therefore  should 
be  made  for  us.  I  have  forgotten  the  name  of  the 
society — if  it  had  any — and  can  only  recall  a  few 
of  its  leading  spirits.  Lincoln,  James  Matheney, 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  189 

Noah  Rickard,  Evan  Butler,  Milton  Hay,  and 
Newton  Francis  were  members.  I  joined  also. 
Matheney  was  secretary.  We  were  favored  with 
all  sorts  of  literary  productions.  Lincoln  himself 
entertained  us  with  a  few  lines  of  rhyme  intended 
to  illustrate  some  weakness  in  woman — her  frailty, 
perhaps.  Matheney  was  able  several  years  ago  to 
repeat  the  one  stanza  which  follows,  and  that  was 
all  he  could  recall — perhaps  it  was  best  he  could 
remember  no  more: 


"Whatever  spiteful  fools  may  say, 

Each   jealous,    ranting   yelper, 
No  woman  ever  went  astray 
Without  a  man  to  help  her."* 


Besides    this    organization    we    had    a   society   in 
Springfield,    which    contained    and    commanded    all 


*  Near  Hoffman's  Row,  where  the  courts  were  held  in  1839-40, 
lived  a  shoemaker  who  frequently  would  get  drunk  and  in 
variably  whipped  his  wife.  Lincoln,  hearing  of  this,  told  the 
man  if  he  ever  repeated  it  he  would  thrash  him  soundly  him 
self.  Meanwhile  he  told  Evan  Butler,  Noah  Rickard,  and  my 
self  of  it,  and  we  decided  if  the  offense  occurred  again  to 
join  with  Lincoln  in  suppressing  it.  In  due  course  of  time 
we  heard  of  it.  We  dragged  the  offender  up  to  the  court 
house,  stripped  him  of  his  shirt,  and  tied  him  to  a  post  or 
pump  which  stood  over  the  well  in  the  yard  back  of  the  build 
ing.  Then  we  sent  for  his  wife  and  arming  her  with  a  good 
limb  bade  her  "light  in."  We  sat  on  our  haunches  and  watched 
the  performance.  The  wife  did .  her  work  lustily  and  well. 
When  we  thought  the  culprit  had  had  enough  Lincoln  re 
leased  him ;  we  helped  him  on  with  his  shirt  and  he  crept 
sorrowfully  homeward.  Of  course  he  threatened  vengeance, 
but  still  we  heard  no  further  reports  of  wife-whipping  from 
him. — James  H.  Matheney. 


190  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

the  culture  and  talent  of  the  place.  Unlike  the 
other  one  its  meetings  were  public,  and  reflected 
great  credit  on  the  community.  We  called  it  the 
"Young  Men's  Lyceum."  Late  in  1837,  Lincoln 
delivered  before  the  society  a  carefully  prepared 
address  on  the  "Perpetuation  of  Our  Free  Institu 
tions."*  The  inspiration  and  burthen  of  it  was  law 
and  order.  It  has  been  printed  in  full  so  often,  and 
is  always  to  be  found  in  the  list  of  Lincoln's  public 
speeches,  that  I  presume  I  need  not  reproduce  it  here. 
It  was  highly  sophomoric  in  character  and  abounded 
in  striking  and  lofty  metaphor.  In  point  of  rhetor 
ical  effort  it  excels  anything  he  ever  afterward 
attempted.  Probably  it  was  the  thing  people 
expect  from  a  young  man  of  twenty-eight.  The 
address  was  published  in  the  Sangamon  Journal 
and  created  for  the  young  orator  a  reputation  which 
soon  extended  beyond  the  limits  of  the  locality  in 
which  he  lived.  As  illustrative  of  his  style  of 
oratory,  I  beg  to  introduce  the  concluding  para 
graph  of  the  address.  Having  characterized  the 
surviving  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  as  "living 
histories,"  he  closes  with  this  thrilling  flourish: 
"But  these  histories  are  gone.  They  can  be  read 
no  more  forever.  They  were  a  fortress  of  strength; 
but  what  invading  foeman  never  could  do,  the 
silent  artillery  of  time  has — the  levelling  of  its 


*  Mr.  Lincoln's  speech  was  brought  out  by  the  burning  in 
St.  Louis  a  few  weeks  before,  by  a  mob,  of  a  negro.  Lin 
coln  took  this  incident  as  a  sort  of  text  for  his  remarks. 
James  Matheney  was  appointed  by  the  Lyceum  to  request  of 
Lincoln  a  copy  of  his  speech  and  see  to  its  publication. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  191 

walls.  They  are  gone.  They  were  a  forest  of 
giant  oaks;  but  the  all-resistless  hurricane  has  swept 
over  them,  and  left  only  here  and  there  a  lonely 
trunk,  despoiled  of  its  verdure,  shorn  of  its  foliage, 
unshading  and  unshaded,  to  murmur  in  a  few  more 
gentle  breezes,  and  to  combat  with  its  mutilated 
limbs  a  few  more  rude  storms,  then  to  sink  and  be 
no  more.  They  were  pillars  of  the  temple  of  lib 
erty,  and  now  that  they  have  crumbled  away,  that 
temple  must  fall,  unless  we,  their  descendants, 
supply  their  places  with  other  pillars  hewn  from  the 
same  solid  quarry  of  sober  reason.  Passion  has 
helped  us,  but  can  do  so  no  more.  It  will  in  future 
be  our  enemy.  Reason — cold,  calculating,  unim- 
passioned  reason — must  furnish  all  the  materials 
for  our  further  support  and  defense.  Let  these 
materials  be  moulded  into  general  intelligence, 
sound  morality,  and  in  particular,  a  reverence  for 
the  Constitution  and  the  laws.  *  *  *  Upon  these 
let  the  proud  fabric  of  freedom  rest  as  the  rock  of 
its  basis,  and  as  truly  as  has  been  said  of  the  only 
greater  institution,  'The  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  it.' " 

In  time  Lincoln's  style  changed:  he  became  more 
eloquent  but  with  less  gaudy  ornamentation.  He 
grew  in  oratorical  power,  dropping  gradually  the 
alliteration  and  rosy  metaphor  of  youth,  until  he 
was  able  at  last  to  deliver  that  grandest  of  all 
orations — the  Gettysburg  address. 

One  evening,  while  the  usual  throng  of  loungers 
surrounded  the  inviting  fireplace  in  Speed's  store, 
the  conversation  turned  on  political  matters.  The 


192  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

disputants  waxed  warm  and  acrimonious  as  the 
discussion  proceeded.  Business  being  over  for  the 
day,  I  strolled  back  and  seating  myself  on  a  keg 
listened  with  eager  interest  to  the  battle  going  on 
among  these  would-be  statesmen.  Douglas,  I  rec 
ollect,  was  leading  on  the  Democratic  side.  He  had 
already  learned  the  art  of  dodging  in  debate,  but 
still  he  was  subtle,  fiery,  and  impetuous.  He 
charged  the  Whigs  with  every  blunder  and  poltical 
crime  he  could  imagine.  No  vulnerable  spot 
seemed  to  have  escaped  him.  At  last,  with  great 
vehemence,  he  sprang  up  and  abruptly  made  a  chal 
lenge  to  those  who  differed  with  him  to  discuss  the 
whole  matter  publicly,  remarking  that,  "This  store 
is  no  place  to  talk  politics."  In  answer  to  Doug 
las's  challenge  the  contest  was  entered  into.  It 
took  place  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Douglas, 
Calhoun,  Lamborn,  and  Thomas  represented  the 
Democrats ;  and  Logan,  Baker,  Browning,  and  Lin 
coln,  in  the  order  named,  presented  the  Whig  side 
of  the  question.  One  evening  was  given  to  each 
man,  and  it  therefore  required  over  a  week  to  com 
plete  the  tournament.  Lincoln  occupied  the  last 
evening,  and  although  the  people  by  that  time  had 
necessarily  grown  a  little  tired  of  the  monotony  and 
well-worn  repetition,  yet  Lincoln's  manner  of  pre 
senting  his  thoughts  and  answering  his  Democratic 
opponents  excited  renewed  interest.  So  deep  was  the 
impression  he  created  that  he  was  asked  to  furnish 
his  speech  to  the  Sangamon  Journal  for  publication, 
and  it  afterwards  appeared  in  the  columns  of  that 
organ. 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  193 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Lincoln  had  attended  one  special 
session  of  the  Legislature  in  July,  1837.  The  ses 
sion  was  called  to  take  some  action  with  regard  to 
the  financial  condition  of  the  State.  The  Bank  of 
the  United  States  and  the  New  York  and  Philadel 
phia  Banks  had  suspended  specie  payments.  This 
action  had  precipitated  general  ruin  among  business 
men  and  interests  over  the  entire  country.  The 
called  session  of  the  Legislature  was  intended  to 
save  the  Illinois  banks  from  impending  dissolution. 
Lincoln  retained  his  position  on  the  Committee  on 
Finance,  and  had  lost  none  of  his  enthusiasm  over 
the  glorious  prospects  of  internal  improvements. 
The  Legislature,  instead  of  abridging,  only  extended 
the  already  colossal  proportions  of  the  great  sys 
tem.  In  this  they  paid  no  heed  to  the  governor, 
whose  head  seems  to  have  been  significantly  clear 
on  the  folly  of  the  enterprise. 

In  1838  Mr.  Lincoln  was  again  elected  to  the 
Legislature.  At  this  session,  as  the  nominee  of  the 
Whig  party,  he  received  thirty-eight  votes  for 
Speaker.  Wm.  L.  D.  Ewing,  his  successful  com 
petitor,  the  Democratic  candidate,  received  forty- 
three  votes,  and  was  elected.  Besides  retaining  his 
place  on  the  Finance  Committee,  Lincoln  was 
assigned  to  the  Committee  on  Counties.  The 
enthusiasm  and  zeal  of  the  friends  of  internal  im 
provements  began  to  flag  now  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  the  bonds  issued  were  beginning  to  find  their 
true  level  in  point  of  value.  Lincoln,  together  with 
others  of  kindred  views,  tried  to  bolster  the  "sys 
tem"  up ;  but  soon  the  discouraging  fact  became 


194  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

apparent  that  no  more  money  could  be  obtained, 
and  the  Legislature  began  to  descant  on  what  part 
of  the  debt  was  lawful  and  what  unlawful.  Repu 
diation  seemed  not  far  off.  Mr.  Lincoln  despaired 
now  of  ever  becoming  the  "DeWitt  Clinton  of  Illi 
nois."  We  find  him  admitting  "his  share  of  the 
responsibility  in  the  present  crisis,"  and  finally  con 
cluding  that  he  was  "no  financier"  after  all.  No 
sooner  had  the  Legislature  adjourned  than  he 
decided — if  he  had  not  already  so  determined — to 
run  for  the  same  place  again.  He  probably  wanted 
it  for  a  vindication.  He  was  pursued  now  more 
fiercely  than  ever,  and  he  was  better  able  to  endure 
the  vilification  of  a  political  campaign  than  when 
he  first  offered  himself  to  the  voters  in  New  Salem. 

Among  the  Democratic  orators  who  stumped  the 
county  at  this  time  was  one  Taylor — commonly 
known  as  Col.  Dick  Taylor.  He  was  a  showy,  bom 
bastic  man,  with  a  weakness  for  fine  clothes  and 
other  personal  adornments.  Frequently  he  was 
pitted  against  Lincoln,  and  indulged  in  many  bitter 
flings  at  the  lordly  ways  and  aristocratic  pretensions 
of  the  Whigs.  He  had  a  way  of  appealing  to  "his 
horny-handed  neighbors,"  and  resorted  to  many 
other  artful  tricks  of  a  demagogue.  When  he  was 
one  day  expatiating  in  his  accustomed  style,  Lin 
coln,  in  a  spirit  of  mischief  and,  as  he  expressed  it, 
"to  take  the  wind  out  of  his  sails,"  slipped  up  to 
the  speaker's  side,  and  catching  his  vest  by  the 
lower  edge  gave  it  a  sharp  pull.  The  latter  in 
stantly  opened  and  revealed  to  his  astonished  hear 
ers  a  ruffled  shirt-front  glittering  with  watch-chain, 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  195 

seals,  and  other  golden  jewels.  The  effect  was  start 
ling.  The  speaker  stood  confused  and  dumb 
founded,  while  the  audience  roared  with  laugh 
ter.  When  it  came  Lincoln's  turn  to  answer  he 
covered  the  gallant  colonel  over  in  this  style : 
"While  Colonel  Taylor  was  making  these  charges 
against  the  Whigs  over  the  country,  riding  in 
fine  carriages,  wearing  ruffled  shirts,  kid-gloves, 
massive  gold  watch-chains  with  large  gold-seals,  and 
flourishing  a  heavy  gold-headed  cane,  I  was  a  poor 
boy,  hired  on  a  flat-boat  at  eight  dollars  a  month, 
and  had  only  one  pair  of  breeches  ';o  my  back,  and 
they  were  buckskin.  Now  if  you  know  the  nature 
of  buckskin  when  wet  and  dried  by  the  sun,  it  will 
shrink;  and  my  breeches  kept  shrinking  until  they 
left  several  inches  of  my  legs  bare  between  the  tops 
of  my  socks  and  the  lower  part  of  my  breeches ;  and 
whilst  I  was  growing  taller  they  were  becoming 
shorter,  and  so  much  tighter  that  they  left  a  blue 
streak  around  my  legs  that  can  be  seen  to  this  day. 
If  you  call  this  aristocracy  I  plead  guilty  to  the 
charge."* 

It  was  during  this  same  canvass  that  Lincoln  by 
his  manly  interference  protected  his  friend  E.  D. 
Baker  from  the  anger  of  an  infuriated  crowd. 
Baker  was  a  brilliant  and  effective  speaker,  and 
quite  as  full  too  of  courage  as  invective.  He  was 
addressing  a  crowd  in  the  court  room,  which  was 
immediately  underneath  Stuart  and  Lincoln's  office. 
Just  above  the  platform  on  which  the  speaker  stood 

*  From  MS.   of  Ninian  W.   Edwards. 


196  THE  LIFE  OF 


was  a  trap  door  in  the  floor,  which  opened  into  Lin 
coln's  office.  Lincoln  at  the  time,  as  was  often  his 
habit,  was  lying  on  the  floor  looking  down  through 
the  door  at  the  speaker.  I  was  in  the  body  of  the 
crowd.  Baker  was  hot-headed  and  implusive,  but 
brave  as  a  lion.  Growing  warm  in  his  arraignment 
of  the  Democratic  party,  he  charged  that  "wher* 
ever  there  was  a  land  office  there  was  a  Democratic 
newspaper  to  defend  its  corruptions."  This 
angered  the  brother  of  the  editor  of  our  town  paper, 
who  was  present,  and  who  cried  out,  "Pull  him 
down,"  at  the  same  time  advancing  from  the  crowd 
as  if  to  perform  the  task  himself.  Baker,  his  face 
pale  with  excitement,  squared  himself  for  resist 
ance.  A  shuffling  of  feet,  a  forward  movement 
of  the  crowd,  and  great  confusion  followed. 

Just  then  a  long  pair  of  legs  were  seen  dangling 
from  the  aperture  above,  and  instantly  the  figure  of 
Lincoln  dropped  on  the  platform.  Motioning  with 
his  hands  for  silence  and  not  succeeding,  he  seized 
a  stone  water-pitcher  standing  near  by,  threatening 
to  break  it  over  the  head  of  the  first  man  who  laid 
hands  on  Baker.  "Hold  on,  gentlemen,"  he 
shouted,  "this  is  the  land  of  free  speech.  Mr.  Baker 
has  a  right  to  speak  and  ought  to  be  heard.  I  am 
here  to  protect  him,  and  no  man  shall  take  him 
from  this  stand  if  I  can  prevent  it."  His  interfer 
ence  had  the  desired  effect.  Quiet  was  soon  re 
stored,  and  the  valiant  Baker  was  allowed  to  pro 
ceed.  I  was  in  the  back  part  of  the  crowd  that 
night,  and  an  enthusiastic  Baker  man  myself.  I 
knew  he  was  a  brave  man,  and  even  if  Lincoln  had 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN.  197 

not  interposed,   I   felt  sure  he   wouldn't  have  been 
pulled  from  the  platform  without  a  bitter  struggle. 

This  canvass — 1840 — was  Mr.  Lincoln's  last  cam 
paign  for  the  Legislature.  Feeling  that  he  had  had 
enough  honor  out  of  the  office  he  probably  aspired 
for  a  place  of  more  distinction.  Jesse  B.  Thomas, 
one  .of  the  men  who  had  represented  the  Dem 
ocratic  side  in  the  great  debate  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  a  speech  at  the  court-house  during  this 
campaign,  indulged  in  some  fun  at  the  expense  of 
the  "Long  Nine,"  reflecting  somewhat  more  on 
Lincoln  than  the  rest.  The  latter  was  not  present, 
but  being  apprised  by  his  friends  of  what  had  been 
said,  hastened  to  the  meeting,  and  soon  after 
Thomas  closed,  stepped  upon  the  platform  and  re 
sponded.  The  substance  of  his  speech  on  this  oc 
casion  was  not  so  memorable  as  the  manner  of  its 
delivery.  He  felt  the  sting  of  Thomas's  allusions, 
and  for  the  first  time,  on  the  stump  or  in  pub 
lic,  resorted  to  mimicry  for  effect.  In  this,  as  will 
be  seen  later  along,  he  was  without  a  rival.  He 
imitated  Thomas  in  gesture  and  voice,  at  times  cari 
caturing  his  walk  and  the  very  motion  of  his  body. 
Thomas,  like  everybody  else,  had  some  peculiarities 
of  expression  and  gesture,  and  these  Lincoln  suc 
ceeded  in  rendering  more  prominent  than  ever. 
The  crowd  yelled  and  cheered  as  he  continued. 
Encouraged  by  these  demonstrations,  the  ludicrous 
features  of  the  speaker's  performance  gave  way  to 
intense  and  scathing  ridicule.  Thomas,  who  was 
obliged  to  sit  near  by  and  endure  the  pain  of 
this  unique  ordeal,  was  ordinarily  sensitive ;  but  the 


198  THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN. 

exhibition  goaded  him  to  desperation.  He  was 
so  thoroughly  wrought  up  with  suppressed  emo 
tion  that  he  actually  gave  way  to  tears.  I  was  not  a 
witness  of  this  scene,  but  the  next  day  it  was  the 
talk  of  the  town,  and  for  years  afterwards  it  was 
called  the  "skinning"  of  Thomas.  Speed  was 
there,  so  were  A.  Y.  Ellis,  Ninian  W.  Edwards,  and 
David  Davis,  who  was  just  then  coming  into  promi 
nence.  The  whole  thing  was  so  unlike  Lincoln,  it 
was  not  soon  forgotten  either  by  his  friends  or  ene 
mies.  I  heard  him  afterwards  say  that  the  recollec 
tion  of  his  conduct  that  evening  filled  him  with  the 
deepest  chagrin.  He  felt  that  he  had  gone  too  far, 
and  to  rid  his  good-nature  of  a  load,  hunted  up 
Thomas  and  made  ample  apology.  The  incident 
and  its  sequel  proved  that  Lincoln  could  not  only 
be  vindictive  but  manly  as  well. 

He  was  selected  as  an  Elector  on  the  Harrison 
ticket  for  President  in  1840,  and  as  such  stumped 
over  a  good  portion  of  the  State.  In  debate  he  fre 
quently  met  Douglas,  who  had  already  become  the 
standard-bearer  and  exponent  of  Democratic  prin 
ciples.  These  joint  meetings  were  spirited  affairs 
sometimes;  but  at  no  time  did  he  find  the  Little 
Giant  averse  to  a  conflict.  "He  was  very  sensi 
tive,"  relates  one  of  his  colleagues  on  the  stump, 
"where  he  thought  he  had  failed  to  meet  the  expec 
tations  of  his  friends.  I  remember  a  case.  He  was 
pitted  by  the  Whigs  in  1840  to  debate  with  Mr. 
Douglas,  the  Democratic  champion.  Lincoln  did 
not  come  up  to  the  requirements  of  the  occasion. 
He  was  conscious  of  his  failure,  and  I  never  saw 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN,  199 

any  man  so  much  distressed.  He  begged  to  be  per 
mitted  to  try  it  again,  and  was  reluctantly  indulged; 
and  in  the  next  effort  he  transcended  our  highest 
expectations.*  I  never  heard  and  never  expect  to 
hear  such  a  triumphant  vindication  as  he  then  gave 
of  Whig  measures  or  policy.  He  never  after,  to  my 
knowledge,  fell  below  himself." 

The  campaign  ended  in  his  election  to  the  Legis 
lature.  He  was  again  the  caucus  nominee  of  the 
Whigs  for  Speaker,  receiving  thirty-six  votes;  but 
his  former  antagonist,  William  L.  D.  Ewing,  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  ten  votes  over  him.  The 
proceedings  of,  and  laws  enacted  by,  this  Legisla 
ture  are  so  much  a  matter  of  history  and  so  gener 
ally  known  that  it  seems  a  needless  task  on  my  part 
to  enter  into  details.  It  is  proper  to  note,  however, 
in  passing,  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  neither  prompt  nor 
constant  in  his  attendance  during  the  session.  He 
had  been  to  a  certain  extent  "upset"  by  another 
love  affair,  the  particulars  of  which  must  be  assigned 
to  a  future  chapter. 

•Joseph  Gillespie,  MS.  letter,  June  5,  '66. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 

* 


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.  --r  *•> 


